Lady Serena and the Nutcracker Prince (Amourshipping)
by HAKDurbin
Summary: Serena is a 17-year-old girl who dreams of becoming a ballerina when she becomes an adult. On Christmas day, her godfather, Uncle Timothy gives her a nutcracker as his Christmas gift to her and tells her a story about how the doll came to be. But things take a magical yet suspenseful turn when Serena comes to her living room one night to find the Nutcracker and her toys alive.
1. Chapter 1

It is Christmas day in Vaniville Town, and many souls young and old are full of the holiday spirit. The entire town and the landscape around it are covered in a large blanket of snow, every building that stands tall and proud is covered with Christmas decorations and people are passing by singing Christmas carols with cheer. Indeed, there isn't a living person in this town who isn't joyous to be around with family and friends at this time of year.

Walking down the snowy streets is a 17-year-old girl with honey blonde hair who is carrying Christmas quills. She smiles happily at the sight of all the Christmas spirit in her beloved town. Her ocean blue eyes shine brightly as she looks at every smiling face. Following behind her is a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair and a nine-year-old boy with faded black hair. The two younger children follow the honey blonde girl with annoyed looks on their faces.

"Seeerrrreeeeennnnaaaaaaa," the auburn-haired girl groans childishly. "When can we go home already?"

"Yeah, Serena. Mairin's right," the boy complains. "Can't we go home already?"

The honey blonde girl named Serena frowns disapprovingly and turns to the two younger kids.

"Calem, Maririn, behave yourself," she rebukes. "We still have three more houses to go before we can go home. Remember, this is a time of giving, not just a time of getting presents."

"But I want to be done now," Calem whines eagerly. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can come home and open presents. That's what Papa said."

"Yeah," Mairin says nodding in agreement.

Serena sighs and shakes her head at her two younger siblings. Then suddenly, she snaps her fingers and says, "Alright, since there are only three houses to go to, how about we split up and we each go to one house. That way, we'll all be done together and we can go home sooner. How does that sound?"

Calem and Mairin's eyes light up in excitement. They nod and cheer excitedly much to Serena's amusement.

"Alright then," she says as she gives a quill to each sibling. "Marian, you take this to the Captoain's and Calem, you give this to the Adag family while I give this one to Mr. Brock and Mrs. Holly. Once we're all done, we'll meet in front of Uncle Timothy's shop and head home. Sound good?"

The two younger kids nod excitedly again.

"Alright. Then let's get going," Serena says in a cheerful tone.

Without another word, Calem, and Mairin race in opposite directions. Serena chuckles with her mouth closed and shakes her head before she starts walking to her own destination. It isn't long before she makes it to a small, two-story house and knocks on the door. She waits patiently for a minute before a woman with auburn hair and a large belly showing that she's several months pregnant opens the door and gives her a warm smile.

"Well, if it isn't Serena Sycamore," she says. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Hello, Mrs. Holly," Serena greets before handing the quill to the pregnant woman. "Just giving a little Christmas cheer from my family to yours."

Mrs. Holly's smile grows as she takes the gift and says, "Thank you very much. Serena. Please give my best Christmas wishes to your mother and father. We're sorry that we can't come to your party tonight."

"Oh, please don't worry about it. My parents understand perfectly," Serena says kindly. "I'm sure you and Mr. Brock are having a merry Christmas with your children just fine."

Mrs. Holly nods in agreement before she stands back and opens the door more to show the living room where half a dozen little children are running around or playing with toys happily while a tall man with dark skin gives a little girl a piggyback ride.

"Dear, look who's here," Mrs. Holly calls out.

The tall man turns around and sees Serena and smiles.

"Hey, Serena, Merry Christmas," he calls out.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Brock," Serena replied with a bright smile.

Mr. Brock continues the piggyback ride with the girl who laughs happily. Serena's smile grows at the sight.

"He's such a loving father, isn't he?" Mrs. Holly says giving her husband a pure, loving look.

"Yes, he is," Serena answers. "You don't see many men as devoted to being a husband and father as Mr. Brock, Mrs. Holly."

"I know," Mrs. Holly says as she looks down at her pregnant belly with another loving look, clearly looking forward to meeting the next child she is about to have with her husband. "Though, you're not that far from needing to look for a husband yourself, right? After all, you're almost 18."

Serena's smile falters before turning to the pregnant woman.

"Actually, I haven't been thinking very much about that," she admits.

"Really?" Mrs. Holly asks surprised. "I know a lot of your parents' friends are going to expect you to find a suitor once you become of age just like your sister, Aria."

Serena sighs and says, "I know, but I still wish to become a ballet dancer instead. I would like to be performing in Lumiose City long before I think about looking for a husband."

"Oh, I didn't know that," Mrs. Holly says taken aback. "Are your parents aware of this?"

"They are," Serena says with an assuring smile. "And they respect my decision, unlike their more...skeptical friends."

Mrs. Holly nods in understanding before placing her hand on the teenage girl's shoulder.

"Well, I hope that you might not take too long to look for someone special, Serena," the older woman says. "A dream like becoming a ballet dancer is great, but nothing makes someone happier than to be with the person you love with all your heart and who love you back."

Serena shakes her head and says, "Maybe for you, Mrs. Holly, but I don't see myself getting married and raising a family as important."

Mrs. Holly sighs and is about to speak again before Serena gasps.

"Oh my gosh. I need to get going!" Serena says in shock. "I'm meeting Calem and Mairin at Uncle Timothy's shop!"

"Oh, okay," Mrs. Holly says in understanding. "Merry Christmas, Serena!"

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Holly!" Serena calls out while running. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Brock!"

"Merry Christmas, Serena!" Serena faintly hears Mr. Brock call out.

Serena runs as fast as her legs can carry her until she makes her way to a small shop connected to a two-story house set on the other side of town where thankfully she finds her two youngest siblings standing in front of the building as she hoped. Calem and Mairin have their faces pressed against the display window with their eyes wide and giant smiles on their faces.

"Calem, Mairim, how many times do I have to tell you not to press your hands and faces against the window?" Serena rebukes.

"Aw, come on, Serena. You know Uncle Timothy doesn't mind," Calem says without looking at her older sister. "And besides look at these toy soldiers."

"And look at these swans and ballet dancers," Mairin adds excitedly.

Serena reluctantly complies and looks at the display before she finds herself smiling as well. The display is full of all sorts of mechanical toys from toy soldiers, to swans swimming down a lake, to a figure of a ballet dancer spinning around gracefully. Serena finds herself smiling as she admires the creative detail of every single piece in the display. All three children look at the display while hearing Christmas music jingling in the background. Unbeknownst to them, the door to the store opens and a short bald man turns to them with a displeased look.

"Hey, you kids, keep your hands off the glass," he growls. "Do you know how annoying it is to wash windows because of rascals like you?"

Serena, Calem, and Mairin are taken aback by the bald man's rude demeanor until someone from inside the shop puts their hand on the man's shoulder.

"Come now, Mr. Coovers. It's alright," A kind voice says. "There's no need to be hostile to my godchildren on Christmas."

The three children calm down as a man in his thirties exits the shop. He has long brown hair tied to a ponytail, blue eyes, and a kindly expression on his face as he turns to the three Sycamore children.

"Serena, Calem, Mairin, Merry Christmas," he greets warmly.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle Timothy," The children greet back.

Uncle Timothy turns to the bald man named Mr. Coovers and says, "Mr. Coovers, these are three of the four Sycamore children; Mairin, Calem, and Serena. I've told you about them."

The bald man's grumpy expression fades into a friendly one and he says, "Ah, I see. A thousand apologies to you, children. Sometimes I get carried away after years of running my own shop.

"Your own shop?" Mairin asks curiously.

"Yes, you see Mr. Coovers is a very old friend and a former coworker of mine from Kanto," Uncle Timothy answers for his bald friend. "He's visiting me here in Vaniville Town from his own toy shop all the way in Unova."

"Unova? That's amazing," Serena says fascinated. "You must have a lot of stories about living there, Mr. Coovers, sir."

"Just Mr. Coovers is fine, child," Coovers replies with a smile "And yes, I'd be more than happy to tell you all about living on Unova later at your parents' party."

"Oh, you're coming to our party with Uncle Timothy?" Calem asks.

"He sure is," Uncle Timothy answers. "We're going to be there as soon as we finish some matters first for my nephew."

At the word, nephew, Serena, Calem, and Mairin turn to Uncle Timothy intently.

"Your nephew?" They say simultaneously before Calem states, "You never mentioned about having a nephew before."

"Yeah, how old is he? Can we meet him?" Mairin pleads.

"Is he really your nephew or is he also your godchild and just calls you Uncle Timothy like we do?" Serena asks with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Enough, enough," Uncle Timothy says chuckling. "Yes, he really is my nephew and I hope you will meet him soon. But you three better run along. Your mother and father and Aria are probably waiting for you."

Both Calem and Mairin gasps.

"That's right, lighting the tree and presents!" Calem exclaims as he and Mairin turn to run. "Come on, Serena!"

"Calem! Mairin!" Serena calls out before she sighs and turns to the two men. "I guess I'll see you at the party, Uncle Timothy, Mr. Coovers. Come as soon as you can."

"Good-bye, Serena," Uncle Timothy and Coovers say simultaneously. Mr. Coovers keeps his friendly face until all three children are out of sight and his face turns serious.

"So Serena is the one for your new plan?" He asks.

"Yes, that's her," Uncle Timothy says with a smirk.

Mr. Coovers gives his friend a skeptical look.

"Are you sure about this?" He asks. "I admit she seems like a very nice girl and she's certainly pretty, but you've been wrong about this before."

"She's the one, Coovers," Uncle Timothy says confidently. "You'll see. We will never find a girl more perfect than her."

Meanwhile, Serena manages to catch up with her two youngest siblings and together the three of them begin making their way through the forest on the other side of town heading home.

"I hope Uncle Timothy brings some of those toy soldiers at the party," Calem says enthusiastically. "Maybe he'll even bring some that can actually fire their guns. Pow! Pow! Pow!"

"I'd like to think he'll bring a pretty toy lake with swans swimming on the lake while wearing beautiful necklaces," Mairin says with a dreamy look.

"Mairin, swans don't wear necklaces," Calem rebukes. "That's just silly."

"Now, now, Calem, don't be rude," Serena says. "Just because real swans don't wear necklaces doesn't mean toy swans can't. You know how Uncle Timothy is just as much of an artist as he is an inventor, so maybe he'll come up with something like that at the party."

"I guess," Calem says in an uncaring tone.

"Easy for you to say though, Serena," Mairin says in a teasing tone. "You still want another doll for Christmas just to look at them instead of playing with them even though you're too old for one."

"Tease me all you want, Mairin, but there's nothing wrong with me admiring the art of something even if it's something as simple as toys," Serena says before giving her sister a teasing grin. "Besides, if you're gonna tease me, then maybe Mama and Papa would like to know how much you like Papa's business partner's son, Alain even though he's three years older than you."

The twelve-year-old girl blushes furiously and immediately shuts her mouth much to the amusement of her older sister. Calem chuckles and begins to childishly tease her sister until they make it to their home. Their house is a massive two-story building that many would confuse it for a mansion. As Serena, Calem, and Mairin reach the front porch, the front door opens to reveal a twenty-year-old woman with red hair and an impatient look on her face.

"Well, it's about time," she says. "Come inside already, mother and father are waiting."

"Alright, Aria. We're coming," Serena says calmly to her oldest sibling.

Calem and Mairin quickly take off their coats and race to the grand living room while Serena takes off her own coat in a patient pace before following them with Aria. They enter the room to find a man with black hair and a woman with brown hair both in their mid-forties waiting for them with loving looks and a giant Christmas tree standing close to the ceiling at fifteen feet. Serena, Calem, and Mairin stare and gasp in awe of the tree with big smiles on their faces.

"Oh, Mama, Papa, this is the best tree we've ever had!" Mairin says happily.

"Every tree is the best tree we've ever had, dear," their mother says chuckling.

"Quite right, Grace, my dear," Grace's husband, Mr. Sycamore says before turning to Serena. "But this must surely be the tallest we've ever had. Right, Sugar Plum?"

Serena smiles and nods at her father.

"And the widest," she adds.

The family then proceeds to light all the candles on the Christmas tree. After they finish, Calem turns to his father with an eager look.

"Can we open presents now, Papa? Can we? Can we?" He asks eagerly.

His father chuckles in amusement before Grace answers for him.

"Now, Calem, you know what we must do first," she says.

Calem's eyes widen before he frowns in disappointment.

"Right, read the Bible," he grumbles.

"Now don't be like that, son," Mr. Sycamore says as he opens the drawer of a living room desk and takes out a bible. "Remember this is what Christmas is really about. Without Jesus coming to Earth there would be no Christmas."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Calem says childishly as he reluctantly sits down on the floor with Grace, Aria, Serena, and Mairin while Mr. Sycamore puts up a chair in front of them and clears his throat.

"I begin with Luke 2," Mr. Sycamore announces as he opens his bible. "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they have been told."

Grace, Aria, Serena and Mairin, smile, enjoying the passage while Calem pretends to be interested. Then, much to the boy's dismay, his father flips over a few pages and says, "Now I'd like to finish with a different passage from 1st Corinthians at the beginning of chapter 13.

Calem groans much to everyone else's amusement before Mr. Sycamore clears his throat.

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.' Amen."

"Amen," the rest of the family says with Calem saying it half-heartedly.

"Alright," Mr. Sycamore says cheerfully as he closes his Bible and stands up. " _Now_ it's present time."

"Finally!" Calem explains as he races to the Christmas tree followed by Mairin, Serena and Aria. Mr. Sycamore chuckles in amusement as all four of his children get down on their knees and begin unwrapping presents. Calem is the first to fully unwrap his present first.

"Wow!" He exclaims in joy. "It's toy soldiers with cannons and cannonballs!"

"Oh, what pretty girl doll and a guy doll to go with her. They look like an adorable married couple," Mairin says with glee. "I think I'll call them Dawn and Kenny."

"Oh, this is a beautiful doll," Serena says admiring her present. "Hillary. I think I will call her Hillary, daughter of my oldest doll, Helga and her husband, Entalmorfious."

Grace sighs sadly before turning to her husband.

"I'm afraid this will be Serena's last doll before she turns 18," she says worryingly. "I just hope she'll be able to let go of them when she becomes an adult."

Mr. Sycamore nods in agreement before turning to his second-born child.

"Sugar Plum, I think there's something else inside your present box," he says.

Serena looks down curiously before she gasps in excitement, puts down her new doll, Hillary, and takes out her other gift.

"New ballet slippers! Oh, thank you, Mama! Thank you, Papa!" she says joyously.

Mr. Sycamore and his wife smile fondly as their honey blonde daughter puts on her new slippers.

"Our little ballerina," Mr. Sycamore whispers in Grace's ear while placing his hands on her shoulder from behind.

Serena begins to spin and twirl gracefully with her slippers and confidently says, "One day I'm going to become a famous ballerina and perform in front of many crowds throughout the seven regions."

"I'm sure you will, sweetheart," Grace says encouragingly while her daughter dances until they hear Aria gasp loudly.

"Oh, mother, father, it's wonderful!" she exclaims as she takes out a beautiful white and yellow dress. "Serena, isn't this the most beautiful dress you've ever seen."

Serena stops dancing and gives her oldest sister an unamused look. It's no secret in the Sycamore household that Aria is obsessed with dresses, especially since she always wants to use them to impress a young man named Pierre who has been courting her for the last couple of years. Even though Serena has never said it to her dear sister, she is displeased that Aria is using shallow means to woo her suitor.

"I'm gonna put it on right now," Aria announces as she races out of the living room with her present.

Serena sighs quietly before she begins practicing more ballet moves while Mairin plays with her new dolls and Calem plays with his toy soldiers. As Grace watches her children with a smile, her husband secretly takes out an emerald necklace from his coat pocket and gently puts it around Grace's neck from behind, surprising her.

"Oh, Augustine," she says happily as she turns to him and they lean in for a brief kiss. Serena, who is dancing near them, notices the necklace and smiles.

"Wow, that's very pretty, Mama," she says.

"Thank you, dear," Grave says kindly until everyone hears the doorbell.

"My, my, is that the time?" Mr. Sycamore says while looking at his pocket watch. "Children, the guests are coming. You better put away your presents."

"Alright, Papa," Serena, Calem, and Mairin say obediently with Calem firing one last cannonball from one of his toy cannons before doing as he's told.

Serena and Mairin put their new dolls in the toy cabinet next to the Christmas tree before Serena goes upstairs to put away her ballerina shoes. When she makes it to her room, she walks over to her bed cabinet, opens the drawer and puts in her slippers. After she closes the drawer, she turns around to leave until she notices a pink pillow lying on the floor and frowns.

"Shauna?" She asks concerned. "Shauna? Here, kitty."

She searches all over her room until she hears a faint jingle coming from the hallway. She sighs as she exits the room just in time to see a tiny black kitten turn around the corner and walk downstairs. Serena hears the front door open and guests entering the house and she frowns, knowing her kitten is nervous around large crowds. She races to the staircase only to find no sign of Shauna while a crowd of wealthy men and woman walk through the entrance hall to the living room guided by her mother and father. Serena runs down the stairs and looks around the entrance until she hears a very faint meow. She turns to the dining hall where large tables full of food are set up and hears another soft meow. Serena makes a small smile as she walks over to the dining hall and lifts one of the table covers to find her frightened kitten hiding underneath.

"Shauna, there you are, silly kitten," she says as she bends down and picks up the kitten from its hiding spot. "You know you shouldn't run off like that."

Shauna merely meows softly but cutely, glad to be held by its owner. Serena smiles and pets her cat until she hears an old voice coming from behind her.

"Serena, dear, is that you?"

Serena jumps in alarm before turning around to see an old lady wearing a fancy outfit and glasses looking at her with a cheerful old smile.

"My, how have you grown, dear. You look so much like your mother when she was your age," the old lady says.

"Uh, thank you, Mrs. Budwell," Serena says politely while still holding Shauna.

"My child, I heard that you will be turning 18 next year," Mrs. Budwell says.

"Yyyyeeesss, that is correct," Serena says trying to contain herself, knowing what the old woman is about to say next.

"Have you been looking for a suitor yet?" Mrs. Budwell asks.

"No, I'm afraid not," Serena answers honestly. "I've actually been looking into becoming a ballerina once I am an adult."

Mrs. Budwell frowns disapprovingly and puts her hands on her hips.

"A ballerina? What a wasteful occupation," she rebukes. "You don't even know if you would be able to get a job in that risky field."

"It can be difficult, I'm aware of that," Serena says calmly, trying to not let the old woman's words get to her. "But that's why I want to work hard and give it my all."

"Preposterous," Mrs. Budwell says with a wave of her hand. "That sounds like an absurd waste of time that you could use to find a nice wealthy man."

Serena takes a deep breath before she firmly says, "I'm sorry you feel that way, Mrs. Budwell, but I simply have little interest in chasing silly rich boys just to settle down and have children when there are much grander things I want to do with my life. I'm sorry that you disapprove, but that's my decision. Now if you'll please excuse me."

The old woman scoffs as Serena leaves the room with Shauna. She hears Mrs. Budwell mutter, "The nerve," and rolls her eyes. She walks back to the entrance room and sighs in relief until she sees Aria in her new dress opening the front door to reveal a tall young man who looks just a couple years older than Aria wearing a fancy suit and a white wig that hides his light blonde hair.

"Oh Pierre," Aria says girlishly with a playfully bashful smile. "Merry Christmas"

"Merry Christmas, Aria," Pierre replies with a thick Kalosian accent as he takes Aria's hand and puts a corsage on her wrist.

"Oh Pierre, it's so pretty," Aria says.

"You're the one that's pretty, moi amour," Pierre says plainly with a smile.

"And you look very distinguished," Aria says with a giggle as she wraps her arm around Pierre's arm and leads him to the main hall.

Serena rolls her eyes again at the sight of how her oldest sister is acting to her fancy suitor. She then holds up Shauna until they are face to face and smiles.

"And you look very, very, distinguished," she says before giggling and petting her kitten who merely smiles and meows cutely at her master's affection.


	2. Chapter 2

It has been an hour since the party has started and Serena has been feeling bored. Mr. Sycamore and Grace have been entertaining the guests by offering them food and showing off the size of the Christmas tree. Aria and Pierre have been sitting on a couch together just staring at each other with googly looks in their eyes. Mr. Sycamore's business partner arrived with his family including his 15-year-old son, Alain which Mairin is secretly happy to see. Calem eventually became so bored that he convinced his father to let him take his toy soldiers out of the toy cabinet so that he can play next to the Christmas tree. Eventually, musicians arrived and started playing classical music much to the guests' amusement.

Serena, however, has been sitting down quietly with her kitten, Shauna, feeling dreadfully weary. In her mind, she thinks about asking her parents to allow her to be excused from the party so that she can practice her ballet dancing up in her room. She detests seeing her house filled with the uptight people who she knows will be asking her about finding a suitor just like Mrs. Budwell.

Suddenly, the lights begin to flicker and a loud thunderous sound is heard from the main hall entrance. Guests are screaming in alarm as the entryway to the entrance hall turns dark and colorful sparks explode in different directions. A trio of doves suddenly appear from the void and fly all over the living room before landing on top of the toy cabinet. Everyone including Mr. Sycamore and Grace begins to worry in fear which only grows as they see two shadowy figures cloaked in black appear.

Suddenly, the lights come back just as quickly to reveal Uncle Timothy and Mr. Coovers as the cloaked figures before they take off their cloaks and show what they were hiding under them. In front of the two men is a small table with wheels where a giant toy fort stands tall and majestic. Statues of swans swim on the lake surrounding the fort and toy soldiers march in circles inside its walls and inside the building and on top of the highest tower, a wooden figure of Uncle Timothy appears from the balcony and drops a small pile of sparkles into the air.

When everyone realizes what just happened, their looks of worry melt into faces of joy and amazement. Serena, Calem, and Mairin race over to the fort while several adults follow behind in amazement.

"Wow, look at the fort!" Calem exclaims.

"How marvelous!" Mr. Sycamore says happily.

"Look at that, Shauna," Serena says as she picks up her kitten to show the toy.

"Timothy, old boy, you've outdone yourself this year," Mr. Sycamore says as he pats Uncle Timothy in the back. "And did you help, Mr. Coovers?"

"Sure did," Mr. Coovers says proudly. "And this guy would not have finished in time without me."

Uncle Timothy merely nods and says, "It's true."

"Well, I'm glad to see your hard work pay off," Mr. Sycamore says happily. "Such a magnificent contraption."

"It truly is a work of art," Grace says in agreement.

"Thank you both," Uncle Timothy says as both he and Mr. Coovers give their hosts respectable bows. "Your pleasure is our reward."

"Hey, Uncle Timothy, can the soldiers inside come out?" Calem asks excitedly.

Uncle Timothy chuckles and says, "No, Calem. I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Oh, I do wish the swans could fly," Mairim says with a dreamy look.

"That is also impossible, dear Mairim," Uncle Timothy says.

"Why don't you make the soldiers fire their weapons, Uncle Timothy," Calem demands.

"Calem, that's quite enough," Grace says calmly.

"Come on, Uncle Timothy," Calem demands again, ignoring his mother. "Just flip a switch and have the soldiers fire their guns! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Uncle Timothy shouts, frustrated at the young boy's demands. "Don't you see? That's the way this fort was meant to work and that's the way it _does_ work!"

Silence fills the room with the exception of the melody playing from the fort. Calem stares at Uncle Timothy for long before he frowns childishly and walks away.

"I can make my soldiers do anything I like," he grumbles bitterly.

Some of the guests gasp softly and shock of the boy's bitter response. After a moment, they silently decide to break the crowd surrounding the fort much to Mr. Sycamore, Grace, Serena, Mr. Coovers, and especially Uncle Timothy's displeasure. The toy maker shakes his head disapprovingly before he flips a switch behind the fort turning it off.

"Toys like this are really wasted on the children of today," he says bitterly. "They simply have no respect for the laws of mechanics."

Without another word, he pushes the fort to a spot against the wall next to the Christmas tree and finds a chair by the fireplace to sit on with a defeated sigh. Serena looks at him sympathetically while her father clears his throat and Grace gestures the musicians to continue playing. Mr. Coovers lets out a sympathetic sigh before he walks over to the middle of the room and gathers Mairin, Calem, Alain, and some of the other children together around so he can tell them stories about his time in Unova much to the children's excitement. Serena frowns, no longer interested in the bald man's stories as she watches her father walk over to Uncle Timothy sympathetically.

"Look here, Timothy, dear boy, why don't I get you some punch and some food," Mr. Sycamore offers.

"Thank you, Augustine, but just punch would be fine for now," Uncle Timothy replies politely with his eyes fixed on the fireplace.

Mr. Sycamore nods in understanding before he pats his friend on the shoulder and leaves. Serena returns to her sitting spot with Shawna and slumps in her chair. She watches the adults including Aria and Pierre begin to dance together while the children listen to Mr. Coovers' stories intently. After a moment, Mr. Sycamore comes back and places a cup of punch on the table next to Uncle Timothy's seat before he quietly joins the dancing with Grace. Serena sighs and with Shauna still in her arms gets up and walks over to Uncle Timothy who takes a small sip of his punch with a wooden face.

"Uncle Timothy, I'm sorry that Calem and Mairin acted that way," she says sadly. "I think your fort is truly wonderful. I believe I would have played with it all the time if I was their age."

The man takes another sip of his drink before turning to the honey blonde teenager with a small smile.

"Thank you, Serena," he says before he frowns and says with a huff, "I suppose this is just the simple life of being an artist. Whether you are a toy maker, painter, writer, actor, or even a ballerina, there will always be difficulties where you put your heart into a project or a performance only to gain not even an inkling of the reception you were hoping for. It can be a hard life indeed."

Serena frowns, gets down on her knees and puts her hands on tops of Uncle Timothy's.

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't try," she insists. "You should never give up until it's over."

Uncle Timothy chuckles softly in amusement before turning to Serena with a soft smile.

"What an encouraging choice of words," he says. "Tell me, did you come up with that yourself or read it in a book?"

"Neither, actually," Serena replies. "I learned that phrase a long time ago from a boy in ballet class back when we all lived in Kanto."

"Oh?" Uncle Timothy asks sounding very interested. "I don't think you have ever told me about this boy before."

Serena realizes what she said and looks away bashfully. Uncle Timothy merely grins in interest.

"So, the future famous ballet dancer who cares little for marriage has been interested in a boy before," he says teasingly. "This I must hear."

"S-stop that, Uncle Timothy, it isn't like that," Serena says bashfully.

"Oh? Then what was it like?" Uncle Timothy asks. "Come now, out with it."

Serena hesitates before she sighs in defeat.

"Alright," she says. "I met him on my first day in ballet class in Cerulean City. Neither of us were very good at figuring out the steps that the teacher was showing us and I was getting frustrated. I grew worried that I wasn't fit to become a ballet dancer even though I had been wanting to become one ever since Papa first took us all to a ballet."

"Ah, yes, I remember joining your family in going to that ballet in Cerulean City," Uncle Timothy says with a fond look. "You were about eleven, nearly twelve years old if my memory serves correctly."

"Yes, you're right," Serena says before she continues. "After falling down for what felt like the hundredth time cutting my knee in the process, I began to cry until the boy walked over to me. He just told me that it's okay before bandaging my knee with a handkerchief and helping me up. He encouraged me to try again simply by saying 'Don't give up until it's over,' and so with his help, I began to improve until I managed to do it right. The boy himself, however, didn't do so well, but he looked so content to try that he encouraged me to take his words to heart without even knowing it."

"Sounds like a very kind and friendly boy," Uncle Timothy says with a warm smile. "What was his name?"

Serena frowns and looks away from Uncle Timothy sadly.

"I never learned his name," she admits. "His mother took him home in some distant town before I could ask that day and he never came to class again since."

Uncle Timothy frowns and says, "That is a shame."

Serena nods in agreement. She then turns her head back to say another thing to Uncle Timothy, but her voice suddenly dies in her throat when something catches her eye.

Under the Christmas tree is the bottom half of a present box and in the box is a wooden doll. Serena walks over to it curiously and sees that it's a doll soldier wearing a deep blue soldier uniform, a black soldier hat and has pointy raven hair. Serena picks it up and stares at its face which contains two large, brown eyes, a small, cylinder nose, two z shaped marks on its cheeks and a large, rectangular mouth showing his large, wooden, white teeth. The honey blonde teenager stares at the doll curiously as she examines it from all sides.

"Now where in the world did you come from?" she asks quizzingly.

Suddenly, it hits her, and she turns around to see Uncle Timothy watching her with a pleased, cunning grin. Serena smiles as she walks over to him.

"Uncle Timothy, you brought him over here, didn't you?" she asks.

"Indeed, I did," Uncle Timothy responds proudly. "Do you like him?"

"Yes, I do. I've never seen anything like him before," Serena says with her eyes turning back to examining the doll until she frowns in confusion. "But what is it?"

"He's a nutcracker," Uncle Timothy answers.

"A nutcracker?" Serena asks puzzled. "I've never seen a nutcracker like this before."

"Oh, nutcracker dolls like him have become very common in Kanto over the last couple of years," Uncle Timothy replies while putting his cup of punch down on the table and takes a nut from a bowl of nuts standing next to it. "Here, let me show you how it works."

Serena complies and gives the doll to Uncle Timothy. The man puts the nut in the nutcracker's mouth and pulls the lever behind it down. The nutcracker's mouth closes, crushing the shell of the nut and Uncle Timothy takes the nut out to eat it before turning to Serena.

"Now you try," he says.

Serena smiles and takes the nutcracker before putting another nut from the bowl. She puts it in the nutcracker's mouth and with another pull of the lever, it crushes the shell leaving only the nut intact.

"Oh, thank you, nutcracker," Serena says with a pleased smile before she suddenly finds two small hands wrapped around the doll.

"Can I try? Can I try? It's my turn!" Calem demands as he yanks the nutcracker from Serena's hands.

"Calem, you can't just take him like that," Serena argues.

"Now Serena, let Calem have a try," Uncle Timothy says calmly.

"But Uncle Timothy, I found him first," Serena protests childishly.

As Uncle Timothy tries to calm Serena down, however, Calem reaches for the bowl only to find no more nuts inside. He frowns, eager to use the nutcracker and looks around for something to crack with it. Just then, he finds one of the toy cannonballs from his new set of toy soldiers and cannons lying under the table. Excited, Calem puts the cannonball in the nutcracker's mouth and pulls the lever hard only for the nutcracker's two front teeth to break off with a sharp snap. He stares at the damage with shock before nervously turning to Serena and Uncle Timothy who clearly heard it break.

"Oh no! Calem!" Serena says angrily.

"Uh, I didn't know that was going to happen," he protests.

"You don't know anything, let me have him!" Serena says yanking the doll away from her little brother. "I knew you would break him! I just knew it!"

Calem frowns bitterly and gets up and walks away.

"Aw, you can have him. I don't care," he says coldly as he walks away. "He's not even a real soldier. He doesn't have a sword."

Serena glares at her brother bitterly before turning to the nutcracker with a sad look.

"Poor nutcracker," she says as she pets the doll sympathetically.

Uncle Timothy watches sadly, displeased to see his gift damaged. He looks down and finds the nutcracker's missing teeth and smiles before picking them up and putting them in his pocket.

"Not to worry, Serena," he says turning to the upset teenager. "I can fix him no problem. He'll be good as new before you know it."

Serena only sighs and keeps staring at the nutcracker, still disappointed to see it broken. Uncle Timothy frowns until he snaps his finger.

"I know," he says. "Why don't I tell you the story of how the nutcracker came to be?"

Serena turns to the toy maker quizzingly and asks, "The story of how he came to be?"

"Yes, you see in Kanto, many nutcracker dolls like him are given stories about how they came to look the way they do which are created by their inventors and passed down to their new owners," Uncle Timothy says. "In fact, the story of this particular nutcracker is one I made a couple years ago with Mr. Coovers and my nephew."

"You mean the nephew that you were doing something for, before coming to the party?" Serena asks.

"The very same," Uncle Timothy answers. "So would you like to hear it?"

"Yes, please," Serena says with a smile as she sits down, crosses her legs and awaits hearing the tale while holding the nutcracker close.

"Alright then, where to begin?" Uncle Timothy asks himself before snapping his fingers. "Ah yes. Now, Serena, do you remember when I sadly had to stay in Kanto when you and your family moved to Kalos five years ago?"

Serena frowns and says, "All too well. Aria, Calem, Mairin, and I were broken-hearted, worried that we'd never see you again and Papa was upset that you were still working for King Giovanni."

Uncle Timothy frowns back.

"Yes, I was still working as King Giovanni's royal mechanic and magician, and yes, your father's feelings were well warranted. The king of Kanto is a power-hungry buffoon who has done terrible things to his people that gave your parents the decision to move. But unlike you, I was not allowed to leave freely," he says sadly before giving the teenager a soft smile. "But life working in Viridian Castle wasn't all that bad. In fact, that's where I befriended Mr. Coovers."

"Really?" Serena asks.

"Yes," Uncle Timothy says. "You see he was my co-worker with taking care of all the clocks and other machinery in the castle. We both share the same disgust for King Giovanni's rule as your father does, but we didn't say anything out of fear for our lives. So as long as we did our jobs we weren't bothering King Giovanni and so he didn't bother us."

"That sounds comforting for you and Mr. Coovers, Uncle Timothy, but what does that have to do with the nutcracker?" Serena asks curiously.

"All in good time, my child," Uncle Timothy says. "Now our story begins roughly two years after you and your family moved to Kalos. It was King Giovanni's birthday and many members of Kanto nobility traveled all the way to Viridian Castle to bring all sorts of wealthy gifts and partake in the grand birthday feast. The king ate and drank with the nobility and his daughter, Princess Giselle who is a beautiful but spoiled girl and the king's pride and joy. Meanwhile, his wife, the queen who is a large and cheerfully naive woman was in the kitchen making a large blue cheesecake, King Giovanni's favorite."

"Blue cheesecake? That sounds disgusting," Serena remarks.

Uncle Timothy chuckles and says, "It's true. Very few people enjoy that dish, but it is what the king loves so every person who was partaking in the feast had to have a slice of this birthday cake whether they wanted to or not. Unfortunately, it was because of that blue cheesecake that all the trouble began."

 _It was while the Queen was single-handedly making the cake big enough to feed everyone in the grand hall. She was happily making the finishing touches for her husband's dessert including a carving of his face made of blue cheese on top of it - or so I have heard from other castle staff members when she heard a loud squeak. The queen yelped in alarm and turned around to find a skinny rat standing on its back legs like a human and wearing a red tunic and a golden crown. The rat let out a proud, maniacal laugh that horrified the queen before it spoke._

" _Give me that cheese," it demanded pompously. "I am a queen too, and as the rat queen, I want something to eat right now."_

" _No, you cannot," The Queen protested despite trembling in fear. "This is for my husband, King Giovanni. It's his birthday cake."_

" _I don't care if it's for the emperor of the world, you fat, quivering lard," the Rat Queen growls. "Now hand it over."_

" _No, I won't," The Queen says struggling to put on a brave face._

" _Suit yourself," the Rat Queen says. "Powuru!"_

 _Without another word, another rat enters the room. This one was twice the size of an ordinary rat and had a muscular build. The remainder of the poor queen's courage dissolved quickly as the large rat named Powuru climbed to the table where the cheesecake stood, drew out his black and blood-red sword and pointed it at the large woman with a menacing glare in its red eyes._

" _Defy my mother again and I with slit your plump body from your feet to your nose before you can move a muscle," he threatened with a deep cruel voice._

 _The queen just whimpered before lifting her hands in surrender and stepping away from the rats and the cake. The Rat Queen laughed maniacally before she let out a high-pitched whistle. Before the Queen realized it, scores of rats flooded the kitchen floors and climbed onto the table. The poor woman watched helplessly as the Rat Queen and her children gorged themselves in the cake she worked so hard to make. Even the large rat, Powuru, started grabbing large chunks of the cake and shoving it down his throat in one bite like a barbaric warrior eating meat straight out of the carcass of the beast he just slaughtered._

 _Before long, the Queen couldn't take it anymore and let out a high-pitched scream in fear. Her screams were so loud that it reached the ears of two guards who were standing guard on the other side of the hall. They raced to the kitchen as fast as they could, and as soon as they entered the room, all of the rats including the Rat Queen and Powuru fled. Unfortunately, the rats had all but finished eating the cake as there was nothing but crumbs and some large scraps on the plate where the large dish once stood. Having seen this, the Queen's cries of fear turned into cries of misery and the two guards stared at the nearly empty plate horrified of how King Giovanni will react._

 _Suddenly, a booming voice is heard from upstairs shouting, "Bring me my cake!" The guards grew even more afraid knowing that the king will be very impatient if he is kept waiting. Then the Queen stands up, collects herself and glumly gestures them to follow her. The three of them fearfully go up the stairs to the main dining hall where King Giovanni is waiting for them with Princess Giselle and the Kanto nobility. Before the king could ask where the cake is, the Queen broke down and got on her knees in front of her husband._

" _Oh my dear king, please forgive me," she weeps. "It's the Rat Queen's fault! As soon as I finished making your cake, she came out of nowhere with her children and ate the entire dessert up before the guards could come to my aid!"_

" _What?!" King Giovanni roars furious, much to the fear of everyone around him except for Princess Giselle. "This is an outrage! Bring me the head of the Rat Queen at once!"_

 _All the guards in the room stutter nervously before they salute and quickly run out of the room, desperate to follow the king's wishes._

 _Eventually, the birthday festivities continued without the King's blue cheesecake much to the Kings irritation and the secret relief of all the nobility. The guards searched high and low earnestly for the Rat Queen and her children but could not find them anywhere. By nightfall, King Giovanni summoned the Captain of the Guard to his throne room where he, the Queen and Princess Giselle sat in their respective thrones._

" _Well?" King Giovanni asked impatiently._

" _We are sorry, Your Majesty," the Captain of the Guard replied. "We searched through every crevasse in the castle but have found no sign of the Rat Queen or any of her children."_

 _King Giovanni screamed and slammed his fists._

" _Imbeciles! Morons! Fools!" He shouted. "What good are you if you can't find a few rodents! I should have your heads right now for this insolence!"_

 _The Captain of the Guard whimpered quietly for fear of his life as the king glared daggers at him. Suddenly, the king's bloodthirst was interrupted when Princess Giselle suddenly spoke._

" _Papa, if they can't find the Rat Queen, then why not lure her to us?" She asked bluntly._

 _King Giovanni's anger fades into a look of realization and then into a mischievous grin before turning to his daughter._

" _Excellent, Giselle," he complimented proudly. "You are as wise as you are lovely, my child."_

" _I sure am, Papa," Giselle said boastfully as she took out a mirror lying next to her and held it up in front of her to admire her beauty. Her parents smile, approving of her pride in her looks before the king turned to the Captain of the Guard._

" _Bring me the royal mechanics immediately," he ordered._

" _At once, my lord," the Captain of the Guard said before leaving with haste._

 _Before long, the captain returned to the throne room with, as you may have guessed, none other than myself and Mr. Coovers. We both gave King Giovanni respective bows before he spoke._

" _You two know of what happened during my birthday feast?" He asked._

" _Yes, Your Highness, and we are sorry that such a deed has been done to you," Mr. Coovers answered while secretly not meaning a word he just said._

" _Save your pity, you bald twit," the king snarled. "I want you two to use all of your skills to hunt down the Rat Queen. Set traps to lure her and her children to their deaths and bring me her corpse on a golden platter. Understood?"_

" _Yes, Your Highness," Mr. Coovers and I replied professionally._

" _Then go!" King Giovanni roared._

 _Mr. Coovers and I were quick to leave the throne room at once. We went to our quarters where we brainstormed ideas for ways to trap the Rat Queen and her children. Eventually, we came up with rat versions of the mousetrap and so set various traps all over the castle placing cheese and other scraps of food to lure them. Much to our relief, the plan worked without a hitch as within 24 hours, countless rats fell for each and every trap resulting in their instant deaths. The result gave King Giovanni a twisted sense of pleasure knowing that his revenge for his birthday cake was going extremely well._

 _But despite our progress, the Rat Queen and her oldest son, Powuru were nowhere to be found. The king grew uneasy knowing that with the Rat Queen's cunning wit and Powuru's deadly skill with a sword despite his size, they would find a way to get revenge._

 _It wasn't long before the King was proven correct. On the third night after King Giovanni's birthday feast, the Rat Queen and Powuru snuck into Princess Giselle's bedroom where she was sleeping and was being watched by her nanny and her cats. Unfortunately, the nanny and the cats were fast asleep when the two rats snuck into the room and climbed into Princess Giselle's bed. With a mischievous grin, the Rat Queen licked her lips and began to chant._

 _Eyes like Enstatite be as stone_

 _Teeth like pearls be as dried bone_

 _Scapolite-like hair made ugly as the night is long,_

 _Never man shall right this wrong_

 _Then, she bit the princess's foot hard, digging her teeth through the skin. Princess Giselle screamed in pain instantly waking up the nanny and her cats. The Rat Queen and Powuru jumped out of the bed and raced into a hole in the wall before the cats could catch up to them. Suddenly, the nanny let out a high-pitched scream as she found the princess horribly transformed. Her teeth were yellow and crooked, her eyes desaturated, her hair turned into a faded mixture of brown and gray and her silk-like skin turned into a hideous light-green and was filled with large warts. When the princess realized what happened, she let out a wail louder than the nanny's scream and cried to the heavens in devastation._

 _It wasn't long before Princess Giselle's cries reached King Giovanni and the Queen. They ran as fast as they could to her bedroom and were horrified with what happened to their daughter. The king, in particular, was greatly distraught at how his precious daughter was disfigured. His grief turned into rage, however, and he ordered to have me and Mr. Coovers brought to him in the throne room._

" _You fools!" He screamed. "You are to blame for my daughter's curse."_

" _But sire," I protested desperately with Mr. Coovers and me on our knees. "We only did what you ordered. There was no way any of us could have known that the Rat Queen can use magic."_

" _I don't care about your excuses!" King Giovanni roared. "My poor little girl is cursed by the Rat Queen and it's all your fault! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"_

 _Mr. Coovers and I grew afraid as the guards came and began dragging us off to be executed. All hope looked lost until the Queen spoke much to everyone's surprise._

" _Hold on, My King," she says calmly to her husband. "Would it not make more sense to hold off their execution and give them a chance to redeem themselves?"_

" _And why would I do a thing like that, wife?" King Giovanni snarled._

" _Because they were the ones who killed the Rat Queen's children, so perhaps they are able to also find a way to break the spell," the Queen said. "You can always cut off their heads if they fail."_

 _King Giovanni did not like the idea of delaying his order to kill me and Mr. Coovers. But when he scratched his chin and considered the fact that we might still be useful for his daughter's sake he sighed in defeat._

" _Very well," he said before turning to me and Mr. Coovers with a threatening look in his eyes. "You have until the sun rises on the day after today and if you do not have a solution to Princess Giselle's condition before the rooster crows, I will have the executioner to cut off your heads and thrust them on spikes in front of the castle gates for all of Viridian City to see._

 _Mr. Coovers and I nodded vigorously and without another word said, we raced out of the throne room and began looking desperately for a cure. We went to a well-respected sage simply called Oak who showed us all sorts of books about magic and alchemy, and other supernatural odds and ends. We prayed to The Lord for a discovery as we looked all over Oak's library of books. Finally, as the day before our deadline was ending, Mr. Coovers found a book about the magic uses for nuts and found our solution. Overjoyed, we ran back to the castle, thanking The Lord and practically burst into the throne room where King Giovanni and his Queen were waiting eagerly._

" _Your Highness, Your Highness!" I said excitedly. "We have found a way to break the spell!"_

" _Then out with it, man, what must be done?" King Giovanni demanded impatiently._

" _It's very simple," Mr. Coovers said while holding out the book he found. "All Princess Giselle has to do is eat the Krakatuk nut."_

" _Really? That's wonderful!" The Queen exclaimed happily. "We have plenty of Krakatuk nuts in the royal nuthouse."_

" _That is wonderful news," King Giovanni agreed with a grin._

" _There is a very specific method to how the nut can free the princess from the spell, however," I warned._

" _Oh?" King Giovanni asked suspiciously._

" _You see, sire, the Krakatuk nut is one of the hardest nuts in the world," Mr. Coovers said while opening the book to the page he found. "In order for the shell to break for the cure, it must be bitten down by a man or a boy over 13-years-old who has never worn boots and must present the victim with their eyes closed and walk back ten steps without stopping. Only when the person has finished going back ten steps can the princess eat the nut and be cured."_

" _Is that all?" King Giovanni asks with a cocky grin. "Very well. Let it be known that whoever can crack the nut shall become the prince of the land and gain my daughter's hand in marriage when she becomes of age. Only nobility may apply and they must have never worn boots."_

 _Mr. Coovers and I looked at each other in concern over the last thing the king said._

" _Uh, Your Highness, I must point out that it is unlikely that any man whether they are nobility or not has never worn boots since it is custom to wear them," I point out._

 _King Giovanni frowned and said, "I am aware of that, but this is the only cure and I will not allow anyone who isn't of noble class to attempt to cure and marry my daughter."_

" _But sire, it is possible that a man or boy out of noble class might be the only one capable of cracking the nut," Mr. Coovers protested. "Is it not worth the risk to find anyone who isn't of noble blood and has never worn boots to attempt to break the spell for the sake of your only child?"_

 _King Giovanni winced at Mr. Coovers' protest. He turned his back on us and thought hard about our argument. The thought of anyone have no class becoming prince of his kingdom and gain the hand of his daughter angered him deep inside, and yet he cannot deny that he values his daughter so much that he would do anything to bring her back to the way she was. Finally, he sighed and turned to us with a menacing look._

" _We shall have tryouts for the nobility to attempt to crack the nut in two months time," he said. "You have until then to find someone of lower class who meets the qualifications and may try to cure Giselle if the nobility fail. But understand that if no one is able to break it, I shall have the executioner slowly remove your heads from your shoulders with a saw rather than his axe."_

 _Mr. Coovers and I gulped and nodded in understanding before we raced to our quarters, packed our things and began our long journey through all of Kanto. From Cerulean City to the Orange Islands, the two of us search high and low to find any man or boy over 13 years of age who has never worn any boots. Unfortunately, winter was coming and so there was wasn't a man woman or child that we didn't find wearing winter boots as it began to snow all over the region. Mr. Coovers and I began to lose all hope and so decided to make our way to our hometown of Pallet Town to spend time with our families one final time before we are executed for our failure._

 _It was a couple of days after Christmas when we arrived in Pallet Town. Mr. Coovers decided to stay with his parents while I went to visit my cousin, Delia and her 14-year-old son, Ash. I sent a letter informing Delia of the reason of my visit and so when she opened her front door, she was quick to pull be into a tight hug before bringing me inside where she already had a warm meal made ready for me. As I ate, the two of us sat in silence, letting the weight of the situation fill the air._

" _Is there really nothing you can do?" Delia asked._

" _I'm afraid not," I said glumly. "The tryouts are in two days and there isn't a soul who fits the cure's criteria."_

 _Delia frowns sadly and whimpers, "Why can't you just run away? Just go as far away from Kanto as you can. I'm sure that family in Kalos would welcome you with open arms since you are their children's godfather."_

 _I gave her a sad smile and said, "Yes, I would love to go to Kalos and see them again, but I'm afraid King Giovanni would find a way to bring me back here just to execute me anyway."_

 _Delia's eyes began to water and she began to cry in despair while I glumly ate my stew. We stayed that way before I heard footsteps coming from upstairs. I managed to smile before turning to Delia._

" _Is that who I think it is?" I asked with a grin._

 _Delia managed to recollect herself and said with a soft smile, "He's been looking forward to seeing you."_

 _My grin grew and I turned my head to see Ash running down the stairs to see me with excitement in his eyes._

" _Uncle Timothy!" He shouted as he ran over to hug me._

" _Ash! How's my favorite nephew?" I happily asked hugging him back._

" _Hey, I'm your only nephew," he said._

" _All the more reason to be the best...and the worst you little rascal," I replied teasingly as I pulled him in for a noogie. "Are you still learning ballet?"_

" _I sure am," Ash said with a toothy grin. "Want to see my latest routine."_

" _Please," I answered._

 _With his body full of energy, Ash found an empty spot from the dining table one begin showing his ballet dance moves. I watched intently as a caring uncle should while Delila merely smiled in support of her son before she leaned into my ear._

" _He's always in his room all the time practicing," she whispered earning a chuckle from me. "I honestly don't know what has gotten him so interested in ballet."_

 _I chuckled and said, "Well, that is Ash for you. When he has his mind about something, he sticks to it."_

" _Ugh, as his mother, I can say you have no idea," Delia said rolling her eyes. "He's always been stubborn just like his father. Why every year that I've tried to make him put on boots during this time of the year and he always refuses because he wants to keep wearing his shoes."_

 _At this, my eyes widen before turning to my cousin surprised._

" _He has never worn boots?" I asked._

" _Never," Delia confirmed. "He's so persistent that I always give up before I can try to put one on his foot."_

 _I stared at her for a moment or two before I began to laugh maniacally. Both Ash and his mother look at me confused at my sudden demeanor before I stand up and began jumping for joy like a maniac._

" _That's it!" I shouted. "That's exactly what I need to break the spell!"_

" _It is?" Delia asked confused._

" _Uncle Timothy, are you okay?" Ash asked._

 _I ran over to my nephew, placing my hands on his shoulders._

" _Ash, have you really never worn a boot in your life?" I asked._

" _No, of course not," Ash answered in a childish manner._

" _Spectacular!" I said joyously. "Ash, you are just the person I need to save Princess Giselle and myself and Mr. Coovers."_

" _I am?" He asked confused._

" _Yes," I said. "How would like to be a hero in the eyes of a king by rescuing his daughter and become prince of the land as well as gain Princess Giselle's hand in marriage?"_

" _What?!" Delia screamed in shock._

" _Oh, I have no desire to become a prince or get married to some uptight princess, Uncle Timothy," Ash answers. "But if I can help you with whatever this important thing is with the king, I will do everything I can."_

" _Oh, bless you, son!" I said happily._

 _The next day, Mr. Coovers and I left for Viridian Castle taking Ash with us. Among the way, we went to a tailor who dressed him in a nice blue suit to make himself presentable to King Giovanni, the Queen, and Princess Giselle._

 _Meanwhile, as we were on our way to the city, the tryouts had already long begun and several members of nobility had come to attempt to break the shell of the nut. Several dukes and marquees tried to crack the nut only to break their teeth in the process. They were soon found out to have lied about never wearing boots and so King Giovanni angrily had them banished._

 _As they tried to break the nut, the Rat Queen was laughing maniacally as she and Powuru were hiding behind one of the statues of King Giovanni lined up on each side of the throne room._

" _Watch very closely and take pleasure in this, Powuru," she snickered boastfully. "Not one of these fools will break this spell._

" _Spells, spells, spells. Who cares about your ridiculous spells?" Powuru rebuked in a cold voice. "This is not about your silly magic, mother. This is about pure strength."_

 _The Rat Queen let out a roar of laughter that was drowned out by a duke screaming in pain from his teeth breaking from trying to crack the nut._

" _Strength?" she tittered. "Powuru, my boy, you are the strongest and most vicious rat I could hope for in an heir to my crown, but you lack understanding that there is more to destroy your enemy than your physical might. Indeed, a time might come where you will have to call on the powers of darkness to destroy your enemies in a way your sword cannot."_

 _But Powuru merely scoffed in disinterest while his mother returned to watch with sickly pleasure as each man fails to break the spell and is banished on the spot by an incensed King Giovanni. As the two rats watched, Mr. Coovers, Ash and I entered the throne room. By the time we made our way in front of the royal family, the last nobleman tried to crack the nut only for his teeth to shatter like glass causing him to screech in pain._

" _Banished!" King Giovanni roared with a wave of his fists before two soldiers take away the whimpering man and the king turns to the three of us. "I should have known that it was impossible to crack that nut! At least you two had the decency to come back and accept the responsibility of your failure!"_

" _Wait, Your Highness," I pleaded with my hands up. "There is hope for Princess Giselle. See I have brought with us my only nephew, Ash, who is 14 years of age and I can confirm has never worn boots a day in his life."_

 _King Giovanni scoffed and grumbled, "Do you take me for a fool? I see what you are doing. You are using your nephew as a means to save your own life by making him a prince!"_

" _No, sire. That's not it at all," Mr. Coovers said. "Ash does meet the requirements of the cure and he has no desire for the reward."_

 _At this, King Giovanni pauses and stared at us skeptically. Then he looked directly at Ash with a suspicious look._

" _Is what they say true, boy?" He snarled. "Do you not wish to when my daughter's hand and become prince of my kingdom?"_

" _Not at all, Your Highness," Ash answered sincerely. "I only wish that help you and my uncle and his friend if I can. I have no desire to rule a kingdom for I have my own dreams far outside of such responsibility that you bear with your crown."_

" _Indeed?" King Giovanni asked with a raised eyebrow. "And what is it that you wish to be?"_

" _A ballet dancer, sir," Ash replied._

 _For a moment, there was silence before King Giovanni burst into laughter. He began to hold on to his gut while tears run down his face. Then, Princess Giselle began to laugh followed by Powuru, the Rat Queen, and all the guards in the throne room. Even the Queen tried to hide a giggle while Ash, Mr. Coovers, and I just stood there, doing our best not to angrily rebuke them for mocking my dear nephew's dream. Finally, they all finished laughing and King Giovanni turned to Ash with an amused grin._

" _A ballet dancer? That's the silliest thing I've heard in years," he says before sitting down on his throne and waving his hand at me. "Very well, your nephew has my permission to try as a reward for amusing me."_

 _I gave him a thankful nod before turning to Ash._

" _Remember, after you break the nut, give it to the princess and then close your eyes and walk ten spaces back," I whispered._

" _Understood, Uncle Timothy," Ash said. "I won't let you down."_

 _I nod and gave my nephew a brief hug before he took the Krakatuk nut from the cushion held by a servant and began to bite down. We stared in anticipation for a moment before the shell suddenly broke with a simple snap. Everyone gasped in shock as the tiny nut fell off the shell and landed in Ash's hand. He smiled triumphantly and walked it over to Princess Giselle who smiled excitedly as she snatched the nut from his hand. Then Ash closed his eyes and began to walk backward counting to ten._

" _No!" The Rat Queen shrieked hysterically. "That cannot be!"_

" _Well, don't say I didn't tell you, mother," Powuru sneered. "If you had just let me at them, I would have cut all of them down for their crimes by now."_

" _Silence!" The Rat Queen hissed bitterly. "I am not finished yet."_

 _With a vengeful look in her eyes, she sneaks from statue to statue coming closer to Ash who is close to counting to ten._

 _The spell you broke shall be your downfall_

 _You shall forever crack nuts_

 _Prince of the Dolls_

 _Her chanting this time was heard by Mr. Coovers who turned his head and saw the Rat Queen sneaking up toward Ash from behind._

" _Ash, look out!" He shouted._

 _I turned my head from the royal family to see what was the matter, but by the time I did the Rat Queen had already bit Ash's foot right as he made his tenth step. As Princess Giselle ate the Krakatuk nut with her parents watching in anticipation, Mr. Coovers and I watched in horror as my only nephew screamed in pain and stepped back knocking off one of the statues before he instantly transformed into a lifeless nutcracker doll. The statue tumbled down knocking over the statue next to it causing a domino effect on all of the statues that the rats were hiding behind. Powuru and the Rat Queen ran for their lives as fast as they could but it wasn't long before all the statues came tumbling down and one large piece of debris landed right on the rat prince's tail._

 _Powuru howled in furious pain has he managed to yank his tail from under the debris only to find it crooked and flat. His blood began to boil as he stood up and turned to where he last saw the Rat Queen._

" _Mother!" He growled angrily. "Look. Look what you've done to my tail!"_

 _But the Rat Queen made no response. Powuru's anger turned into confusion as he looked around for his mother until he looked down and his eyes widened. Lying under a large piece of a broken statue with half of her body shown was the Rat Queen's body lying motionless. Powuru stared at his mother's body taken aback at this sudden turn of events. His moment of surprise passed away as quickly as it emerged, however, when his eyes turned to the Rat Queen's crown lying on the ground next to the body. It was in that moment that the rat prince's mouth began to curve up. A cruel cackle emerged from his mouth as Powuru picked up the crown and stared at it with a large grin on his face showing his long, sharp, crooked teeth. He placed it on top of his head as his cackle turned into a maniacal, triumphant laugh._

" _At last!" He roared. "I am king! I am the Rat King! All hail Powuru, Lord of the Rats!"_

 _He let out another maniacal laugh before he turned to his mother's body and spat out a ball of spit right on her face._

" _That will teach you, mother," he snarled in a condescending tone. "At last you have outlived your usefulness to me. Now no one can stop me from bringing the rats to eternal glory under my rule."_

 _Meanwhile, as this was going on with Powuru, Princess Giselle chewed on the nut for a couple seconds before she swallowed and with a loud pop her ugliness vanished and she became beautiful again. King Giovanni and the Queen were ecstatic as they rushed to both sides of their daughter and hugged her while she took out her mirror and proudly admired her looks as if nothing happened. The three of them laughed happily at their victory before they looked to thank me, Mr. Coovers and Ash. But all they saw was half of King Giovanni's statues destroyed and I was on my knees in front of the destruction cradling a nutcracker doll sadly with Mr. Coovers standing behind me with the same expression. When Princess Giselle looked at the doll that was dressed just like the boy who cracked the nut for her, she gave it a disgusted look._

" _Ew, look at those horrible lifeless brown eyes and that awful creepy grin," she said in an uptight matter. "Take that awful thing away at once!"_

 _The king himself frowned disapprovingly as he stood up and marched toward me and Mr. Coovers._

" _How dare you," he snarled. "First you caused my daughter's curse and then you tried to trick me into having a nutcracker as my son-in-law?!"_

" _What? No, Your Highness, it's nothing like this," Mr. Coovers defended while I was looking away holding the doll. "It was the Rat Queen, she -"_

" _Silence!" King Giovanni barked. "You two have caused trouble upon me and my family for the last time! I hereby banish both of you and your nutcracker from Kanto forever!"_

 _Mr. Coovers gasped from this news while I still didn't pay attention. The royal family then left the throne room to begin celebrating the return of the shallow princess' beauty leaving the two of us alone with what remained of my nephew._

" _Oh Ash, what have I done by bringing you here?" I finally managed to say. "Please forgive me, my dear boy. As The Lord is my witness, I promise you that I will find a way to break this spell."_

" _Save your breath, you fool!" Powuru barked showing his face to me and Mr. Coovers who were both surprised by his wretched appearance. The Rat King growled menacingly and revealed his crooked tail to us. "No living creature has any right to touch me and yet because of your nephew has done to my tail, he must pay. The three of you are briefly fortunate that I did not bring my sword with me, but very soon, I'm going to hunt you down and make you witness my power. I am going to build an army that no one has ever seen and nothing will stop me. And if you think your nephew is ugly now, wait until I turn him into a pile of splinters."_

 _With that, Powuru let out another maniacal laugh and raced out of the throne room to begin his rule leaving myself, Mr. Coovers and poor Ash fully alone with the Rat King's words sinking in._

"That's a terrible story," Serena says with a childish pout. "Ash should have become prince of Kanto and lived happily ever after."

Uncle Timothy chuckles, amused by the 17-year-old girl's reaction.

"Well, it would have been difficult to live happily ever after if he really did marry Princess Giselle, Serena. Mark my words," he says. "Besides, even if he is not the prince of Kanto, he is kind of a prince as the Prince of the Dolls and he will rule over the land of the dolls for as long as the curse remains."

"Sounds interesting if there actually is such a place," Serena says unconvinced. "And even if there is, he'll still be a nutcracker since the spell might never be broken."

"Ah, but there's a way that can happen," Uncle Timothy says. "In order for him to be human again, two things must happen: first, he must confront and defeat Powuru, The Rat King."

"Ah, let me guess," Serena says with a skeptical smirk. "The second thing is he must win the hand of a fair maiden?"

"Exactly." Uncle Timothy says with a grin. "Only a fair maiden who truly loves him no matter who or what he is can free him once Powuru is slain."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Serena says before looking at the nutcracker. "Still, that is a tragic ending, Uncle Timothy. It's a good thing this isn't really Ash though now that he lost his two front teeth, huh?"

"Indeed," Uncle Timothy says with a nod.

"But is any of that story true?" Serena asks curiously. "I do recall that it was shortly after Christmas of that year that King Giovanni banished you."

Uncle Timothy chuckles and says, "No, I was banished because Mr. Coovers and I could not fix King Giovanni's favorite clock."

Serena raises her eyebrow and asks, "Really?"

"Well, it was such an old clock that it ultimately made more sense to retire it, but he wasn't willing to face reality," Uncle Timothy answers with a shrug. "As I said, the king of Kanto is a cruel man, but he is also a buffoon."

Serena keeps her suspicious look for a moment before she sighs and reluctantly believes her godfather. She then puts down the nutcracker and picks up Shauna who has been lying down next to her the whole time.

"Oh, Shauna, why do all fairy tales have to be the same?" She asks.

Uncle Timothy chuckles while the kitten just meows cutely as she is cradled by her owner. Serena then turns to the nutcracker that is standing tall on the ground and looking majestic apart from the loss of it's two front teeth and smiles.

"So is anything about Ash true?" She asks. "Does he want to be a ballet dancer like me?"

"Indeed he does," Uncle Timothy says with a smile. "And I hope you two will get the chance to meet him. I imagine you will have much to talk about."

"I think so too," Serena says as she gives the nutcracker a friendly smile while her parents' party goes on without her or Uncle Timothy.


	3. Chapter 3

After a couple of hours, the party ended and the guests headed home. Mairin was bummed that her crush, Alain had to leave much to Calem and Serena's amusement, but she was secretly happy that she got to listen to Mr. Coovers' stories next to him and even convinced him to share a dance with her. Aria was giddy the whole night even after Pierre went home much to Serena's annoyance. Thus the Sycamore family went upstairs and went to bed, happy yet exhausted from their party, they each fell asleep in their beds without a hitch.

But as it grew close to one in the morning, there was one soul that has not fallen asleep. Despite lying comfortably in her warm bed and constantly listening to a music box that would usually help her go out like a candle, Serena is unable to sleep at all. She tosses and turns, but despite her efforts, only Shauna has succeeded in sleeping on top of her bed cuddled up in a cute little ball. No matter how hard she tries, her mind is stuck on Uncle Timothy's story about the nutcracker and spells and the evil Rat Queen and her son, Powuru. Despite her godfather telling her that it wasn't a true story, the little child inside the 17-year-old began to imagine finding out that it was true. That standing inside the toy cabinet downstairs at this very moment is a real life boy who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer just like her but was trapped by an evil magical rat whose son wants to kill him out of vengeance.

Finally, she decides she has had enough. She gets out of bed, puts on her slippers and her bedrobe and exits her room. The sudden movement wakes up Shauna who looks around curiously before following her owner. The two of them walk downstairs quietly until they enter the living room where the toy cabinet is standing next to the Christmas tree. Serena opens the glass doors of the cabinet and smiles as she sees the nutcracker standing on the top shelf. She takes it out of the cabinet and places him on a nearby table. She looks at it fondly for a moment before her childish side gets the better of her and she begins to speak to it.

"Good evening, Nutcracker," she says quietly yet warmly. "Are you enjoying your stay here?"

As expected, the nutcracker gave no response.

"I hope you are," Serena says before looking at his mouth with a frown. "I'm terribly sorry about your two front teeth. That Calem is such an irresponsible boy. I should have known better than to let him have a turn as your uncle said. Don't worry though, Uncle Timothy will fix you up before you know it."

Again, no response from the nutcracker.

"What's that? You would like to meet your subjects, Prince of the Dolls?" Serena asks. "Oh yes, of course, how thoughtless of me."

She opens the cabinet again and takes out a doll of an old woman to present to the nutcracker.

"This is Helga, my oldest doll," she says. "She can be as stubborn as her once blonde hair is gray, but she's actually very kind."

She puts Helga away and then takes out a toy soldier that has a large, white mustache and looks worn out.

"This is Entalmorfous, a distinguished soldier and Helga's husband," Serena says. "He's a very noble but tired soldier. He tries his best, but his silly old leg keeps acting up on him after so many battles. It makes poor Helga terribly worry every time he goes out to fight despite his condition."

Serena lets out an amused giggle as she puts the old toy soldier away and takes out her new doll.

"This is my new doll, Hillary," she says. "She is Entalmorfious and Helga's only child. She's very kind like her mother, but will lose her temper if you ruin her outfit."

Finally, she puts away Hillary and takes out Mairin's two new dolls.

"These are my sister, Mairin's new dolls, Dawn and Kenny," Serena says. "They love each other fondly as any married couple should, but Kenny gets irritated every time Dawn calls him by the lovey-dovey nicknames she gives him. I'm sure all of the dolls will serve you faithfully, Your Highness,"

Serena giggles lightly again as she puts Dawn and Kenny away. Deep down she is enjoying giving to her childish imagination just for the sake of pretending that her godfather's nephew is really there trapped as a nutcracker. She scratches her chin in thought and gets another idea.

"What an enchanting melody," she says suddenly. "What's that, Nutcracker? Shall we dance? Oh yes, please."

With that, she picks up the nutcracker with both hands and begins to dance. Her eyes are glued to the doll as she turns and spins holding it close. She hums a simple tune as she looks at the nutcracker's face, studying it from his brown eyes, to the z shaped marks on its cheek to its raven-hair. Her smile grown as she looks at its facial features fondly.

"You know something, nutcracker? You remind me of a boy I meet a long time ago," she says as she dances with the doll. "He wanted to be a ballet dancer just like you and me and taught me to never give up. I doubt you would have met him before, though. I met him all the way in Cerulean City and you probably never went anywhere outside of Pallet Town before breaking Princess Giselle's spell, have you?"

Once again the lifeless nutcracker makes no response.

"Still, it would be interesting if the three of us could meet in person," Serena says. "Perhaps if my family stayed in Kanto and you had not been cursed we could have met in person with that boy. Maybe we could have joined together as a trio of dancers. Together we would be Serena, Ash and whatever was the name of that -"

Suddenly, Serena's thoughts are interrupted with the sound if a faint crash. She gasps and turns around to see that Shauna accidentally broke an ornament from the Christmas tree.

"Shauna, you'll get me into trouble," Serena hisses as she puts the nutcracker back in the toy cabinet and picks up the pieces of the ornament. She throws the pieces away and turns to her kitten with a sad sigh.

"I think it's time we go back upstairs," she says.

But as soon as Serena spoke, she hears a strange squeaking sound. She looks around wondering where it is coming from while the squeaking grows louder with each passing second. Serena grows afraid as she realizes that the sound sounds like the squeaking from rodents and she begins to wonder if any mice or rats have entered the house.

Suddenly, the curtains begin to move as if there is wind coming from the windows even though they are closed. The squeaking sound continues to grow louder until it sounds like a hundred rodents have surrounded the room. Serena's fear rises until she turns to the grandfather clock on the other side of the room and a strange, see-through figure appears through the clock. Her fear turns into disapproval as she recognizes the figure.

"Uncle Timothy? What in the world are you doing here?" She asks.

But the ghostly figure of Uncle Timothy does not respond. Instead, it just floats on top of the clock with its eyes fixed on the honey blonde girl.

"Uncle Timothy, this isn't funny," Serena says with a serious frown. "You come down here and cut out this act right this instant."

Again, the figure remains silent and shows no movement apart from a simple blink of its eyes.

"Uncle Timothy, stop this at once," Serena demands, growing frustrated. "If you don't knock it off, I will tell Mama and Papa."

Suddenly, the see-through figure of Uncle Timothy waves its hands in the air and a large pile of sparkly dust flies all over the room. Serena gasps as a fire suddenly appears in the fireplace giving the room light. Shauna hides behind Serena's feet, scared while Serena herself wonders what is going on.

Suddenly, the squeaking sound returns and Serena gasps as dozens of rats appear from the shadows of the furniture and march toward her clothed in armor and carrying swords, clubs, maces, and shields. Serena and Shauna step back as the rats march toward them with bloodthirsty looks on their faces.

"W-w-what's going on?" Serena asks fearfully as she picks up Shauna in a desperate attempt to protect her dear kitten.

Just then, a cold chuckle is heard which sends shivers down Serena's spine. Her heart sinks as one more rat appears from the shadows with a cruel, vicious grin on its face. It is twice the size of the other rats with a muscular build and is clothed in black armor and a golden crown on its head. Its tail is crooked and flat and it holds a black and blood-red sword with its left front paw. Serena stares at the large rat in fear, wondering if it is what she thinks it is until the rat climbs to the top of a chair and the other rats turn to look at it as it stands majestically.

"Rats, salute your monarch," the large rat growls in a cold voice.

The rats let out large high-pitched cheers as they beat their breasts and bang their swords and shields together. Some of them began beating war drums and a few of them drop their weapons, get down on all fours and start dancing like acolytes doing a ritual for a pagan god.

"Long live the rat king!" The rats declare. "All hail Powuru! Glory to Powuru!"

The large rat grins as he watches the other rats give all this praise to him. Serena's heart sinks as her worries are confirmed.

"P-Powuru? It can't be," she says holding Shauna tightly.

"My time has come, at last, my subjects," Powuru declares. "For three years that bald man has been trying to hide that pathetic nutcracker from one region to another. Time and time again they evade my wrath, but now the Prince of the Dolls is defenseless once more and now is the time to destroy him once and for all."

The other rats let out loud battle cries in response. Serena turns to the nutcracker that is still standing on the top shelf of the toy cabinet lifeless.

"He's really trying to destroy nutcracker," she says in realization. "Oh Shauna, what do we do?"

Just then, the ghostly figure that resembles Uncle Timothy waves its hands again and once more, golden sparkles fill the air above. Serena looks curiously until she hears sounds of yawning and she turns her head only to gasp at the sight of all of the toys in the toy cabinet moving. All of the dolls and toy soldiers yawn and stretch like they have been sleeping for days. Serena stares at all of them, unable to believe her eyes.

"What in the world is going on? I need my beauty sleep?"

Serena gasps again after hearing her new doll, Hillary speaking with a weary tone in her voice. Helga, who is standing next to her yawns before she sees the rats and gasps.

"Oh dear," she says fearfully in an elderly way. "We're under siege. Where is the Nutcracker? Where is the prince?"

"Yeah, where is that darn prince?" Mairin's doll, Dawn asks with an irritated frown. "I need him to defend us so that my Kennykins will be safe."

"H-hey, I don't need protection," Mairin's other doll, Kenny claims, trying to sound tough. "Let me at those ugly rodents. I fear no pain."

"Oh, sweetie pie, who are you kidding?" Dawn asks with an unimpressed look. "You whimper in pain whenever I feel like squeezing my hubby affectionately."

"Hey, that's not fair. You have strong arms," Kenny whines. "And don't call me names like that."

"I say," the old toy soldier named Entalmorfious mutters tiredly. "What is all the commotion?"

Serena's mouth hangs open as she and Shauna watch the toys act just like the 17-year-old girl said right before their eyes. Suddenly, she hears one last yawn on from the top shelf and she gasps one more time to see her nutcracker not only awake but transformed. Instead of a wooden face in a wide grin, the doll has turned skinny and his face has shrunk into a round shape. His nose is still cylinder and it's two front teeth are still missing. The Nutcracker shakes his head to keep himself awake before he checks his surroundings.

"What's going on?" He asks. "Where am I? Where are my two front teeth?"

Hearing him wake up, Helga and Hillary climb to the top shelf to approach the Nutcracker.

"Prince Nutcracker, please save us," Helga pleads. "We are all in danger."

"How did I get here?" The Nutcracker asks. "The last thing I remember, I was in the house of an irritated girl named Iris and -"

"We're in the middle of a crisis and you're going on about some girl?" Hillary rebukes. "We need you to save us from those filthy beasts right away."

"Filthy beasts? What are you -" the Nutcracker begin until he turns to see the rat army and gasps. "Oh no. It's Powuru!"

The Rat King grins at the Nutcracker's realization and points his sword at a distance.

"You have avoided my wrath for the very last time, Prince of the Dolls!" He roars. "I find you again as the Lord of the Rats, but after tonight I shall make myself the Lord of the Dolls. Then I will become lord of everything and none of you can stop me."

Once again the rats let out loud and proud war cries in support of Powuru. Most of the dolls and toy soldiers quiver in fear as the rats begin to surround Serena, Shauna, and the toy cabinet.

"Come on, Your Highness, you got to save us," Helga pleads.

"I can't," the Nutcracker says discouraged. "He's been after me for years and his army is very powerful. I don't even know how I'm still alive all this time."

Helga frowns and in a motherly tone says, "Prince Nutcracker, stop making excuses at once. You help no one by being afraid of the enemy. Now get down there and save us from those rats!"

The Nutcracker steps back taken back by Helga's outburst. He turns to Hillary who merely smirks in amusement as if she was waiting for her mother to snap at The Nutcracker like that. The Nutcracker himself hesitates before he sighs in defeat.

"I'll do my best," he says.

Helga smiles and nods in approvement before the Nutcracker climbs down from the toy cabinet and looks up to face all the toys.

"Dolls, soldiers, everyone in the toy cabinet," he begins. "Do not give into fear. If we work together, we can take down the rat king and his forces."

"Hail Nutcracker! Hail Nutcracker!" The dolls and toy soldiers shout, instantly encouraged by his words.

The Nutcracker feels equally encouraged by their support before his face turns serious and he shouts, "Rally the troops! Bring down the cannons and ammunition! Prepare for battle!

The toy soldiers salute and begin climbing down the toy cabinet and use rope to lower the toy cannons and cannonballs to the ground. Serena keeps looking in disbelief while still holding on to Shauna protectively.

"You there, what's your name?" The Nutcracker asks Entalmorfious as he climbs down.

"I am Entalmorfious at your service, Prince Nutcracker," the old soldier replies proudly with a salute.

"Oh no, not my Entalmorfious," Helga groans, instantly worried for her husband.

"How knowledgeable are you in battle?" The Nutcracker asks.

"Ha! I am well versed in the disciplines of war, Nutcracker," Entalmorfious boasts. "Why there isn't a single battle I haven't studied from the Siege of Azoth to the battles of Santalune, Avignon, Kalos Canyon, Azure Bay…"

"Excellent," The Nutcracker says confidently. "Then I commission you commander of the cavalry."

All the dolls and toys gasp in surprise, but no one is as surprised as Entalmorfious.

"C-c-c-c-commander?" The old soldier sputters.

"Entalmorfious, you're the only one out of all of us that has any strategic experience," The Nutcracker points out. "I'm counting on you to help me save the toy cabinet."

Entalmorfious sputters out incoherent words, trying to protest against the Nutcracker's decision. He turns to the other toy soldiers who only give looks of agreement much to his dismay.

"Come on, Daddy!" Hillary encourages from the top shelf while shaking her fist in the air. "You can do it! Slice those ugly beasts to pieces!"

"Hillary! Don't encourage your father!" Helga hisses angrily.

Entalmorfious sighs and salutes to the Nutcracker.

"Understood, sir," he says.

The Nutcracker nods in approval before turning to the other toy soldiers.

"Men, line up," he orders. "Infantry in the front, cannons in the back."

The toy soldiers salute and carry out their orders. The infantry loads their guns with tiny corks while the other soldiers load their cannons. The rats line up together and draw their weapons in response. They let out battle cries once again trying to intimidate the toy soldiers.

"Stand your ground, men," The Nutcracker orders. "And infantry, remember; their armor is weak at the neck and under the arms."

The infantry nods in understanding while Serena looks at The Nutcracker confused.

"How does he know that?" She asks herself.

But her thoughts are interrupted when Powuru jumps off from the chair he was standing and lands on the ground perfectly. He stands behind his force of rats and growls.

"Charge!" he shouts.

The rats charge toward the toys with bloodthirsty looks in their eyes. The Nutcracker watches them carefully before he raises his right hand.

"Ready," he orders the infantry. "Aim….fire!"

The soldiers fire their rifles sending tiny corks flying. Several of them hit some of the rats knocking them off their feet, but the rest are still charging after them.

"Infantry reload. Cannons fire!" The Nutcracker orders.

The cannons fire hitting many more rats. Powuru, however, grins in amusement.

"So he wants to play rough again, does he? Such an amusing waste of time," he hisses before turning to the rats standing next to him. "Fire at will!"

The rats nod and take out slingshots almost their size and fire large marbles at the toy soldiers. The infantry only has a moment to react before several of them are knocked off from the ground. The rats in the front lines take advantage of this and begin charging at the toys again. The Nutcracker frowns before he turns to Entalmorfious.

"Commander Entalmorfious, prepare the cavalry for a charge," he orders.

"Yes sir," Entalmorfious says with a serious salute before turning to the toy soldiers in horses. "Men, await my signal."

The calvary nod in understanding as the rats get closer to them. Entalmorfious raises his hand and waits until the enemy is close enough to lower his hand.

"Now!" He shouts.

Taking the rats by surprise, the cavalry charges toward them and run their enemy over. The toys cheer with their morality raised as the horsemen ram through the rats' forces like they are made out of paper mache. Even Serena smiles at the sight of the toys appearing to be winning the battle. However, their cheers are short-lived when the cavalry become overconfident and start running towards the rat king.

The Nutcracker gasps in horror and shouts, "No, don't go after Powuru! He's too dangerous!"

But the toy horsemen don't listen and continue to charge at the large rat. Powuru's smirk grows and he stands still pretending to be helpless until the horsemen get close enough and he takes out his black and red sword. The horseman don't realize what is happening before Powuru swings his sword forward with great speed and cuts off the front legs of one of a soldier's horse right from the knees. The horse cries in pain as it falls down face first and the soldier flies out of his saddle. Powuru lets out a venomous growl and swings his sword at two other horses cutting one close to the knee and taking out the eye of another. The rest of the horses neigh in fear and knock their riders out of their saddles and run away for their lives.

"Oh no. Come back!" The Nutcracker calls out.

But it is no use. The remaining toy horses run out of the living room as fast as their toy legs could carry them. The horsemen run away from Powuru before he starts cutting them to pieces with his sword. The rats take advantage of this and begin their final attack on the toys. Before Serena knows it, the rats and toy soldiers are clashing swords and other weapons against each other all over the living room floor. The toy soldiers are fighting gallantly against the invaders, but they are ultimately little match against the rats which are stronger and better equipped. Eventually, Entalmorfious and the Nutcracker take out swords and join in the fight.

"If we do not face each other in heaven then I shall take them straight to hell!" Entalmorfious shouts bravely as he and the Nutcracker jump into the fight.

"Such language from Daddy," Hillary says appalled. "It's absolutely shocking."

Helga, however, has her eyes on her husband with a terrified look. She watches from the top shelf of the toy cabinet as Entalmorfious fights one of the rats. The old doll's face turns into a look determination before she turns to her daughter.

"Shocking or not, they need our help," she says seriously.

"What?!" Hillary shouts.

"Dawn, let's help the others," Helga calls out to the shelf below her.

"Right," Dawn says determinedly as she begins climbing down the toy cabinet with Helga.

"H-hey, I wanna help too!" Kenny calls out.

"No, you are staying up there where I want you safe and waiting for me," Dawn commands firmly.

Kenny whines as he reluctantly obeys his wife while Helga turns to her daughter who is so on the top shelf.

"Come on, Hillary. We have to help your father," the elder doll commands.

Hillary tries to utter out words of protest, but her doll mother has already climbed down the cabinet and started running over to Entalmorfious' aid before she can try.

"Oh woe me," she whines like a child before she reluctantly climbs down.

"Hey, come on, you ladies can fight but I can't?" Kenny complains.

Serena can't help but giggle at the male doll's misery. She then turns back to the fight where she sees Helga and Dawn picking up swords from some of the rats that have been killed and start fighting beside Entalmorfious. Hillary, however, is screaming and running for her life in fear as soon as one rat noticed her and started chasing after her. As she runs, the rat catches up with Hillary and swings his sword which misses her skin but creates a large cut on the back of her dress.

"MY DRESS!" Hillary screeches hysterically.

She turns to the rat with her face red with rage and a deadly glare that drains the blood of the rodent out or fear. Without further hesitation, Hillary picks up a club from a dead rat lying next to her and swings it right at the rat's head. Entalmorfious turns his head just in time to see his daughter's opponent fall to the ground.

"Well done, Hillary!" The old soldier toy cheers. "Show your enemies what you are made of!"

Hillary merely gives her father a nod before running to another rat from behind and attacking it with her club in a fit of childish rage. Meanwhile, another rat is pushing Dawn back as they clash swords until she is pushed to a corner next to the toy cabinet. Kenny squeaks, worried for his wife and so in an act of desperation takes out a gumball from the candy jar and throws it at the rat. The gumball hits the rat right on the most protective side of its helmet much to Kenny's grief, but it made the rat lift its head giving Dawn the advantage to stab it in the stomach.

"That's for the distraction, Kenny-Boo!" Dawn calls out with a cute grin before going back to the fight.

"Anytime sweetie," Kenny groans half upset because he failed to kill the rat and half embarrassed of his wife's nickname for him.

The battle slowly becomes evenly matched with Helga, Hillary, and Dawn aiding the soldiers. For Serena, however, she is more worried for the Nutcracker who is still fighting in the spot where the battle is the most violent. He cuts down every rat that approaches him without fear as if he has been doing this for a long time, but she can see that he's tiring from so much fighting. She wishes there is something she can do to help him but with the rats' sharp weapons and her need to keep Shauna safe, she doesn't think there is much she can do despite her size.

Serena then turns to the grandfather clock on the other side of the room where the see-through figure of Uncle Timothy is still there. The figure appears to still do nothing but watch the battle intently while standing perfectly still. Serena stares at the figure confused and upset that her godfather seems to be doing nothing to aid the Nutcracker that might be his nephew. She wants to scream at this ghost telling him to magically make the rats go away so that the toys will be safe.

Suddenly, it hits her that in the midst of the battle she hasn't seen Powuru since the cavalry tried to attack him. She looks all over the floor desperately, feeling scared that the large rat is nowhere to be found. Finally, she spots him next to the fireplace where two other rats are using the fire from the fireplace to light a candle. They hand the candle over to the rat king and he grabs it with one paw and takes out his sword with the other, letting out a low, maniacal laugh. He turns to the other rats and gives them a serious nod. They nod back in understanding and one of them takes out a horn and blows letting out a harsh noise. The rats fighting in the battle acknowledge the horn and back away from the battle giving Powuru the opening he needs to charge at the Nutcracker who is tired and unaware of what is happening.

"Your Highness, watch out!" Helga calls out.

It is no use. The Nutcracker is too fatigued and none of the dolls are close enough to help him move away from the large rat coming towards him with his sword and candle. Powuru lets out a loud, evil laugh as he races to the Nutcracker, excited to kill him. Serena gasps in horror and looks around to find something she can throw to stop him. Finally, in an act of desperation, she puts Shauna down, takes off one of her slippers and throws it at Powuru. The slipper hits its target causing Powuru to trip and lose his grip on the candle. He falls down on his face and the candle flies in the air before landing on top of the rat king with the flame lying close to his tail. The tail catches on fire and the rat king screams in pain and starts running all over the room trying to put the flame out.

"My tail!" He roars in pain. "My tail is on fire! My tail is on fire!"

The other rats watch their leader scream in pain as his tail burns. The dolls notice this and Entalmorfious takes advantage of it.

"Men, force them back!" He orders.

With the spirits of the toys lifted they charge at their enemy. The rats' morale is so low from seeing their powerful king injured that they scream and run away in fear from the toys. They run out of the living room and into the holes from which they came. The toys cheer victoriously and the Nutcracker smiles in approval before turning to his soldiers.

"Who was it that saved me from Powuru?" He asks.

"That would be the tall girl, Serena, Your Highness," Kenny answers from the toy cabinet pointing at Serena. "She threw her slipper at that horrible rodent."

"It's true, I saw the whole thing," one of the soldiers says.

"Three cheers for Serena," Entalmorfious announces.

Serena smiles, feeling overwhelmed as all the toys cheer happily for her deed. Even the ghostly figure of Uncle Timothy smiles in approval. The Nutcracker, however, turns to Serena and gasps loudly earning everyone's attention.

"It...it can't be," he says in shock.

He slowly walks over to Serena who looks at him confused with Shauna standing next to her.

"W-what's the matter, Nutcracker?" She asks, mentally dumbfounded that she just spoke to a talking doll.

"Serena? Is that really you?" The Nutcracker asks, slowly looking excited to see her. "It's me, Ash. I don't think gave you my name, but I was the boy who helped you in ballet class a long time ago. Don't you remember? 'Don't give up until it's over.' That's what I told you."

Serena gasps loudly in surprise. She stares at The Nutcracker who looks at her in confusion. But before she can say anything, she steps back and slips on one of the toy cannonballs. The last thing Serena remembers is letting out a short scream before she hit something hard in her head and everything goes black.


	4. Chapter 4

Serena groans as she slowly wakes up feeling a sharp pain in the back of her head. She slowly lifts her head and looks around to find that she's in her bed and the sun is up showing that it's past noon. Shauna is seen lying on top of the bed covers and has woken up from Serena's movement. The kitten lets out a cute meow and walks over to Serena to be petted.

"Shauna, I had the most peculiar dream," Serena says before scratching her chin. "Or...was it real?"

Suddenly, a knock is heard on her door and it opens to show Grace entering with a concerned look followed by Mairin.

"Serena, thank heaven you are awake," Grace says as she walks over to her daughter's bed. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Mama, Mairin, what happened?" Serena asks.

"We were hoping you could tell us, dear," Grace answers.

"Yeah, we came downstairs this morning to find you unconscious with all the toys and several dead rats scattered all over the living room floor," Mairin says. "Some of the toy soldiers and horses had holes in them or had their legs off. Calem has been crying all day over them and Uncle Timothy and Mr. Coovers came here to fix them."

Serena puts her hand on top of her head and she looks down deep in thought.

"Toys...rats...Uncle Timothy," she mutters while her mind recollects everything she witnessed that night. "Wait, were these rats dressed in armor and holding swords and clubs?"

Mairin and Grace look at Serena confused.

"Dressed in armor and holding swords and clubs?" Grace asked concerned.

Realizing what she said, Serena shakes her head and clears her throat.

"Sorry, I guess I hit my head harder than I thought," she lies.

Grace nods in understanding and asks, "What in the world were you doing with the toys in the middle of the night?"

Serena hesitates at answering the question. On the one hand, what she thinks she saw last night seems so real, but at the same time, her mother and sister would think she has gone crazy if she answers truthfully. The implication that the rats they found weren't dressed in armor or had any weapons also gives Serena the possibility that she was imagining the whole thing. With all that in mind, she thinks up a half lie to tell Grace and Mairin.

"I had trouble sleeping so I decided to go downstairs and look at the nutcracker for a few minutes," she says. "I remember something about a bunch of rats appearing all over the floor, but I don't recall doing anything with the other toys."

Grace looks at her second oldest daughter suspiciously while Mairin looks worried.

"You don't think those rats were trying to eat the toys, do you?" She asks.

"No, dear. Rats are not interested in toys," Grace says assuringly to her youngest daughter.

"Are you sure?" Mairin asks with a scared look. "I saw my new dolls on the floor. Maybe if Serena wasn't there, those horrible things could have torn Dawn and Kenny to pieces while I was sleeping."

The young girl begins to whimper in fear and her mother quickly places her hand on top of her head to comfort her.

"Don't worry, dear. They are perfectly fine," Grace says calmly. "Uncle Timothy and Mr. Coovers are laying traps all over the house just in case something like this happens again. Dawn and Kenny will sleep safely tonight."

Mairin slowly calms down with this information until she gives her mother a smile to show that she's feeling better. Grace smiles before turning back to Serena.

"Anyway, the doctor was here this morning and said you have a concussion," she says. "It's not bad, but he wants you to stay in bed today."

"Yes, Mama," Serena says obediently.

Just then, she hears a clamping sound and she turns around to see the nutcracker peeking from her doorway looking wide and lifeless again but has it's two front teeth back. The door then fully opens to reveal Uncle Timothy entering the room and holding the nutcracker with a smile.

"Serena, good afternoon," he greets warmly. "How is your head?"

"It hurts but not terribly," Serena answers.

"Good," Uncle Timothy says. "I just thought you'd like to see that Nutcracker has his teeth back perfectly."

Serena smiles, pleased to see that the doll has indeed been fixed. But then she frowns when she suddenly remembers the ghostly figure of her godfather and sits up.

"Uncle Timothy, why didn't you help Nutcracker last night?" She demands. "He was in trouble and you just stood there and watched him fend for himself against Powuru and his rats. He's your nephew and you didn't do anything. How could you?"

Uncle Timothy, Mairin and Grace stare at the honey blonde teenager confounded. Serena realizes what she just said and her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She shakes her head again and clears her throat.

"Sorry, I guess I haven't fully recovered from that hit on the head," she says bashfully.

Grace glares at her daughter, unconvinced but silently drops it and turns to the nutcracker Uncle Timothy is holding.

"So this is the nutcracker you were so interested in last night, Serena?" She asks. "Calem told me about how you were so upset that he broke it's two front teeth."

"Uh, yes it is, Mama," Serena answers truthfully.

Grace nods in understanding and says, "Timothy can you please put the nutcracker away? I think it might be best if Serena stays away from it for a while."

"What?" Serena asks shocked.

"I'm sorry dear, but I think your fascination for the toy is getting the better of you," Grace says calmly. "You know you shouldn't be out of bed in the middle of the night playing with toys."

"But Mama, I -"

"No buts, Serena," Grace says calmly but firmly. "Timothy, if you please."

Uncle Timothy nods and Grace and Mairin begin to exit the room. Uncle Timothy waits for a moment before he leans close to Serena and whispers, "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye out for him."

Serena nods as her godfather leaves the room with the nutcracker and Grace closes the door behind them. Serena sighs and rests her head on her pillow again. She closes her eyes and tries to fall asleep until she hears muffled voices coming from the other side of the wall. She opens her eyes confused until she recognizes the voices of her mother and Uncle Timothy. Her mother sounds like she's scolding her godfather while Uncle Timothy sounds like he's protesting with a calm and friendly voice. After a moment, Serena's curiosity gets the better of her and she quietly gets up, walks over to the bedroom door and carefully opened it enough to clearly hear both adults.

"Come now, Grace, you're exaggerating," she hears Uncle Timothy say.

"Am I?" Grace challenges. "Then what was my daughter doing there unconscious and surrounded by toys? She claimed she did nothing with those toys and yet it's clear she took them out to play with them before those vile creatures attacked her. She's obviously hiding the fact that she thinks the toys are real."

Serena gasps quietly at her mother's accusation.

"Really, Grace, you're jumping into conclusions," Uncle Timothy contradicts. "Why would Serena go off playing with toys when she hasn't done that in ages."

"You know why," Grace accuses. "It's that nutcracker you gave her last night. It's that story I heard you tell her after Calem broke the stupid thing. It's clearly getting into her head for the worse. She doesn't need that, Timothy. She should be focusing on traveling the world as a ballerina like she wants to, not indulging in some made up fantasy."

Serena winces and her heart sinks. She doesn't know why but hearing her mother speak like this against the nutcracker and Uncle Timothy's story feels like something stabbed her with a sword.

"I don't recall her being that invested in my story," Uncle Timothy counters. "In fact, I specifically remember her acting very disappointed with my story and me clarifying that I made it up."

"And yet she suddenly said you were there with her not helping your nephew that lives all the way in Kanto," Grace says. "Face it, Timothy, something is going on with my daughter and until she clears her head, it might be best that you stay away from her."

Serena gasps sharply. She doesn't care that her mother and godfather might have heard her. She mentally prays that Uncle Timothy will do something to convince her mother otherwise, but instead she hears a reluctant sigh and her pupils shrink fearing what she is about to hear.

"Very well, Grace," Uncle Timothy says sadly. "I still think you're fretting over nothing, but if a little time is what it takes to convince you, then I will respect your wishes as her mother."

Serena feels tears in her eyes as she hears her mother say, "Thank you, Timothy. Good day."

"Good day, Grace," Uncle Timothy says softly.

Serena's heart breaks at those words. She wants to burst out of her room and demand that her mother takes back what she said, but she knows she will just make things worse if she does.

Suddenly, she hears footsteps coming her way and she quickly yet carefully closes the door, jumps back into bed and closes her eyes pretending she is asleep. The door opens and she can sense her mother checking on her before she quietly closes the door. Serena waits until her mother has completely walked way before she opens her eyes only to find tears in them. She sits up and wipes her face while Shauna hops back onto her bed.

"What's going on, Shauna?" Serena asks softly while holding her head where her bandage is. "All I remember about that night is going downstairs to look at the nutcracker and then suddenly Powuru was there with an army of armored rats and all the toys were alive. And then there was that battle and I had to save the nutcracker with my -"

Serena gasps again and she crawls over to the other side of her bed where she usually sets her bed slippers beside. Her eyes widen to find only one standing there. She hops off her bed and looks under it to not find her other slipper there.

"I threw my other slipper at Powuru," she says thinking out loud. "I threw it at him and his tail caught on fire. I don't remember ever putting it back on, so maybe that means it really did happen."

She smiles, satisfied with her answer for a moment before she suddenly frowns and thinks again.

"But then again it could just be missing without any of it happening and I am not aware that my slipper has been missing since before last night until just now," she says to herself. "After all, Mama and Mariam never said that I was wearing either of my slippers when they found me. So maybe…"

Serena gets out of bed and begins searching through her room. She checks her dresser, her bookcase, her closet and even under her bed, but no matter how hard she looks, her other bed slipper is nowhere to be found. Serena scratches her chin in thought and turns to Shauna.

"Okay, so it's actually missing," she admits. "Maybe it somehow came off while I was downstairs and no one has noticed it. Or perhaps they did find it and it just never came up because I was going on about armored rats and accusing Uncle Timothy of not helping his nephew who's a nutcracker. Or… maybe I actually did throw it at a big, evil rat king?"

Shauna twilts her and meows cutely. Serena groans and racks her head, frustrated.

"What is going on?" She whines. "I know what I remember but it doesn't add up. No one found any armor or weapons on the dead rats, and Uncle Timothy has no idea of what I was talking about. In fact, now that I think about it, he really did clarify that the story wasn't true. So why are talking rats and toys and Powuru trying to kill Ash as a nutcracker all I can remember?"

Serena jumps back into her bed, puts her pillow in front of her face and screams into it. Shauna walks over to Serena on the bed and licks her hand. Serena sighs and removes her pillow from her face with a sad look.

"Maybe it was...just a dream, Shauna," she says softly. "Maybe I was sleepwalking last night while dreaming that the nutcracker and the toys came to life and fought Powuru and his evil army. I know it doesn't explain the dead rats, but maybe that would explain everything else. The toys, the battle, Uncle Timothy as a ghost...even Ash turning out to be the boy from all those years ago - all if it sounds like something my mind would think of in a dream after hearing Uncle Timothy's story and bringing up the time I met that boy."

Her sad face grows as she rolls over and starts hugging her pillow. Shauna walks over to her and lies down and Serena smiles and starts petting her beloved kitten.

"You know the sad thing about it being a dream, Shauna? I actually want it to be real," Serena whispers. "When the nutcracker said it was Ash and claimed we met before in ballet class at Cerulean City, I was taken aback but...I remember feeling really happy too. The idea of finally seeing that boy again and turning out to be my godfather's nephew that I saved from a terrible fate sounds...so romantic. I could help free him from the spell and with Powuru gone we could become ballet dancers together and live happily ever after."

As soon as those words Serena's mouth, her eyes widen and she slaps her cheeks and shakes her head.

"Why am I suddenly saying things like that?" she asks herself. "Serena, wake up already. I don't want to think about things like that. I need to focus on becoming a ballet dancer and see the world not falling in -"

Her voice does in her throat as she realizes what she almost said. She shakes her head again and puts her pillow back in its normal spot, lays her head on it and pulls the covers over to her.

"I should just go to sleep and try to forget about the whole thing," she says. "For all I know, my head still needs to be healed from the fall before I can think clearly. Yeah, that's it. I'll just rest up and turn out fine and before I know it Mama will know I'm just fine and allow Uncle Timothy to come back and we'll all move on like nothing happened. Sleep tight, Shauna."

The little kitten meow softly as it watches its owner close her eyes and try to force herself to fall asleep with a confident smile on her face. But as she tries to go back to sleep, Serena's smile fades as her mind still thinks about what she thinks she saw last night.

" _Ash…_ " she thinks in her mind. " _Are you really that boy?"_


	5. Chapter 5

It is twelve minutes past midnight when Serena slowly wakes up. The rest of the day was uneventful with her father coming to her room bringing a bowl of soup before he left to go to bed. Serena eventually woke up and ate her soup before laying the empty bowl on the bed stand next to her and went back to sleep with Shauna. She puts her hand on her head which feels a lot better and so just lays on her bed waiting to fall asleep again.

The moonlight shines through her bedroom window and Shauna is sleeping soundly next to her. She smiles at her kitten cutely cuddled up in a ball and carefully proceeds to pet it gently so that Shauna won't wake up.

Suddenly, Serena hears tiny footsteps from under the floor. She gets up into a sitting position and looks around, eating up Shauna in the process. Her room looks exactly as she left it and she starts to think she was imagining things. But then, Serena feels something tugging her blanket from the floor and goosebumps form all over her. Whatever is down there is clearly alive and is using her blanket to climb onto the bed.

Serena and Shauna stand still until a familiar, large rat climbs onto the bed. Serena gasps and Shauna meows fearfully and runs to Serena's side as Powuru stands up with his sword drawn and Serena's other bed slipper in his mouth. The rat king spits out the shoe and it lies on the blanket bent, torn, covered in slobber and has holes from where the rat's sharp teeth were.

"I thought you might be looking for this, young lady," Powuru says with a cold voice.

Serena picks up Shauna and hugs her as she fearfully says, "Th-th-th-thank you."

Powuru growls angrily and points his black and blood-red sword at the honey-blonde girl angrily.

"Thank you nothing, you wicked child!" He snarls. "Look what you did to my tail!"

With his free paw, Powuru shows his crooked and flat tail now covered with third-degree burns that reveal scorched flesh. Serena looks away in disgust while Powuru growls angrily.

"No living being is allowed to touch the rat king and yet you dishonor my might and glory by burning my tail and making a fool out of me in front of my army!" He shouts.

"But I didn't mean to set you on fire," Serena protests. "You were trying to hurt Nutcracker."

Powuru lets out a cruel, mocking roar of laughter.

"You humble me, child," he says with a sadistic grin. "I have no desire to hurt him. I only wish to burn and slice that boy to pieces and turn whatever is left of him into a footstool for my throne room."

Serena's eyes widen, horrified at what the large rodent just said.

"You horrible, callous savage!" She barks.

"Oh, that's much better," Powuru says amused. "Now I will make this simple for you. You will bring the nutcracker to me and I might forgive you for what you've done to my tail."

"No," Serena says despite still being very afraid.

"I don't think you realize how much trouble you are in," Powuru says with a frown. "If you don't tell me, I will cut you to pieces and once I'm done with the nutcracker, I might just have my rats bring your remains to my base where we will use your bones as firewood and feast on your flesh to celebrate my victory."

"I don't care what you do to me," Serena says bravely. "I won't give you to him."

Powuru growls again venomously and raises his sword. Serena gasps and grabs the empty soup bowl and desperately swings it at the rat king. The bowl breaks on impact and Powuru howls in pain giving Serena the chance to pick up Shauna, hop out of bed, and race out of the bed room. The honey blonde girl runs as fast as she can through the hall and down the stairs until she makes her way to the living room. She puts Shauna down next to the Christmas tree and swings the toy cabinet open where the nutcracker is standing on the top shelf. She grabs the doll and starts to run only to feel a sharp pain on her ankle, causing her to fall down.

Serena hissed in pain and turns her head to see Powuru standing by her feet with blood dripping from his sword and a large cut on her ankle. She whimpers in pain as she scoots away from the rat as best as she can while still holding the nutcracker closer to her.

"Consider yourself lucky that I didn't cut off your entire foot," Powuru says. "Now for the final time, give me the nutcracker."

"No, I won't!" Serna cries as she hugs the nutcracker tightly with both arms. "You can't have him! I won't let you!"

Powuru's anger rises and he raises his sword to cut again making Serena wince while still holding the doll. But then the large rat suddenly freezes and his furious face turns into a bloodthirsty grin. Serena looks confused until the rat king turns to Shauna and chuckles coldly.

"Very well," Powuru says. "If I won't have him, then I'll make do with your sweet little kitten."

Serena's eyes widen and screams, "Shauna, run!"

But Shauna doesn't understand what its owner is saying and Powuru chuckles cruelly.

"Run? Where is she going to go?" He asks before he lets out a loud whisper.

The next thing Serena knows, dozens of rats appear out of nowhere. Her fear grows as she sees the rats surround her, the nutcracker, and Shauna drawing out their weapons and pointing at them. Powuru's grin grows knowing he has his targets right where he wants them.

"Last chance girl," Powuru says. "It's the nutcracker or your pet."

Serena freezes in place. She keeps her grip on the nutcracker, but her eyes are on Shauna who is whimpering in fear of the rats pointing at their weapons with sadistic grins on their faces. Suddenly, the honey blonde girl's eyes water and she breaks down.

"Oh, Uncle Timothy, where are you?" she cries. "I tried to protect Ash but I don't know what else to do. Please save us."

Powuru and his rats laugh cruelly at the honey blonde girl's misery. Suddenly, without anyone noticing, the ghostly figure appears on the grandfather clock again, looking at Serena with a warm smile. Then with a wave of its hands, a large pile of sparkly dust flies all over the room. Serena stops crying and the rats look at the air in confusion until they hear yawning from the toy cabinet. Serena turns her head to see Entalmorfious, Helga, Hillary, Dawn, Kenny, and the toy soldiers coming to life and checking their surroundings. Then Serena hears a groan next to her and she looks down to find the nutcracker once again with a skinny figure and his face has shrunk and his toothy grin gone.

"What's going on," the Nutcracker asks in a groggy voice. "My...my two front teeth are back? How did -"

"Nutcracker?"

The Nutcracker looks up to see Serena's teary-eyed face close to him.

"Serena?" Ash asks with a worried look. "Serena, what's going on?"

"Nutcracker, Powuru is after you again and he's threatening to kill me and Shauna," Serena says. "Please help me."

Ash stares at her for a moment before he looks around and sees Powuru and his rats surrounding Serena, Shauna, and the other toys. He then notices the large cut on Serena's ankle and gasps.

"Did Powuru hurt you?" He asks.

Serena nods and the Nutcracker becomes angry.

"Serena, please get me a sword now," he growls.

Serena looks at the Nutcracker taken aback by his sudden demeanor for a moment before she nods and turns to the toy cabinet.

"Quick, we need a sword!" She shouts.

"Here, young lady. Take mine," Entalmorfious says.

The toy soldier unbuckles his belt containing his sword and throws it high in the air. Serena catches it and puts down the Nutcracker while handing him the belt and sword. Powuru chuckles, amused by his enemy.

"So you are awake with a sword," the rat king says mockingly. "How amusing that you and the girl think that will save you."

"Powuru, your fight is with me," the Nutcracker says as he buckles the belt around his waist and unsheathes his sword. "You're going to pay for harming Serena."

Serena smiles touched by the way the Nutcracker is defending her. But then her smile fades into a look of worry.

"Nutcracker, please be careful," she says worryingly.

The Nutcracker turns to the girl and smiles.

"Don't worry, Serena," he says, giving her a bow. "I will take care if this rodent once and for - AAUGH!"

Serena gasps loudly and the other toys watch in horror as the Nutcracker clenches his arm. Powuru chuckles menacingly taking a sick sense of pleasure from slicing the Nutcracker on the arm when his back was turned.

"You dishonorable beast!" Entalmorfious roars angrily from the toy cabinet.

"I decide what is honorable in my presence," Powuru claims boastfully.

"And you will regret it with your life!" The Nutcracker shouts as he swings his sword at the rat.

The Nutcracker and Powuru clash their swords together fiercely. Serena puts her hand together, silently praying for her doll while Shauna stands next to her. Entalmorfious, Helga, Hillary, Dawn, Kenny, and the other toys cheer in support for the Nutcracker while Powuru's rats start banging their weapons and drums, yelling praises to their king. Powuru swings his sword violently, eager to cut his enemy down while the Nutcracker, stays on the defensive, determined to wear out his enemy.

Suddenly, Powuru takes the Nutcracker off guard with a surprise uppercut swing, causing the doll to lose control of his sword. The sword is sent flying into the air and lands into the Christmas tree where it impaled deep into one if the middle branches. Powuru roars in laughter as he continues to swing his sword at the Nutcracker with the doll just barely missing each swing.

"Oh no, what is he going to do?" Hillary cries out fearfully.

"I don't know," Dawn says worriedly.

"We got to do something," Kenny says determinedly.

"No, we can't interfere," Helga says seriously. "This is The Nutcracker's fight and he has to face it alone."

"Hogwash," Entalmorfious says seriously. "I will not stand idle when our beloved prince is helplessly defenseless."

Without another word, the toy soldier jumps out of the toy cabinet and runs toward Powuru and the Nutcracker. As Entalmorfious runs as fast as he can despite his rusty legs, Powuru makes a swing for the Nutcracker's head. The Nutcracker ducks down, but the move gives the large rat the opportunity to kick the doll causing it to fall down. Serena gasps in fear as the rats laugh again and Powuru makes ready for a fierce stab toward the nutcracker's chest.

Suddenly, Entalmorfious jumps in front of the Nutcracker right as Powuru attacks. The black and blood-red sword pieces right through the tin man like paper and Entalmorfious howls in pain as he falls down next to the Nutcracker.

"NO!" Helga shrieks.

"DADDY!" Hillary cries out.

"Entalmorfious, no!" The Nutcracker cries out.

"Y-your Highness," Entalmorfious groans weakly. "Go...get your sword…"

The Nutcracker hesitates before his face turns serious and he nods before quickly standing up and racing to the Christmas tree. Serena turns her head to see where the Nutcracker's sword is and picks up the doll.

"Here, Nutcracker, grab your sword, quick," she says as she lifts the Nutcracker up to the branch where the sword is as best as possible despite her cut ankle. The Nutcracker jumps off her hand and runs over to his sword only to try to pick it up to no avail.

"It's stuck!" He says. "The blade is stuck deep into the wood."

"Well, get it out quick befor - AAAAHHHH!" Serena screams.

The honey blonde girl falls down to the ground again. Serena whimpers in pain and lifts her head up to see Powuru by her feet with blood from her other foot dripping from his sword.

"Serena!" The Nutcracker cries out.

"No more help from your friends, Nutcracker," Powuru calls out.

"Powuru, get away from her!" The Nutcracker barks.

"Oh don't worry, I am," Powuru says with a devilish grin as he starts climbing on the Christmas tree. "But once I am through with you, Prince of the Dolls, there will be nothing in the world to stop me from turning your girlfriend's head into my own personal trophy!"

The rats begin to cheer and bang their weapons and drums even louder in anticipation while Serena and the toys watch in fear. The Nutcracker and Powuru are so deep inside the Christmas tree that no one can see either of them. All that can be heard is Powuru making his way to the branch where Serena last saw the Nutcracker. The honey blonde girl's heart races and she holds her clasped hands close to her heart as she mentally prays again for the Nutcracker's safety. Even the ghostly figure of Uncle Timothy makes a grim look as it is unsure of what is going to happen. Before long, everyone hears Powuru make it to where the Nutcracker was last seen and roars triumphantly.

"DIE!" They hear him scream.

The next thing everyone knows, they hear the sound of a sword piercing through something and someone letting out a sharp gasp.

"Nutcracker!" Serena calls out.

The entire room is silent as everyone stands perfectly still. Then, they hear a dying groan before something solid starts tumbling down from tree branch to tree branch. Serena's heart sinks deeper and deeper until she sees a small, golden crown landing the floor. The girl and the toys' hope slowly rise and the rats' confidence suddenly falters until Powuru's body slams into the ground with his black and blood-red sword falling next to him. Serena dares to crawl closer to see a red hole in the large rat's left breast and his eyelids are slightly open to show his lifeless eyes.

The rats stare in horror of what just happened until they all start running out of the living room in fear. It wasn't long, however, before Serena and the toys hear snapping sounds from the entrance hall and Serena remembers that her mother said that Uncle Timothy and Coovers laid rat traps earlier today and realizes the rat army just aimlessly ran to their deaths. The toy soldiers let out joyous cheers and dance in victory while Helga and Hillary climb down the toy cabinet and rush to Entalmorfious' side.

The next thing Serena knows, she hears more rustling from the Christmas tree and she turns her head to see the Nutcracker landing next to Powuru and putting his sword back in its sheath. The honey blonde girl lets out a happy sigh of relief and picks up and hugs the doll tightly.

"Oh, Nutcracker. Thank the Lord you're safe," she says shedding tears of joy.

The Nutcracker is taken aback by the sudden hug but then smiles and hugs the girl back as best as his small hands can.

"Serena…" He says softly before he looks down to look at Serena's feet with a frown.

"We can help with that," Dawn says with a singing voice as she and Kenny walk climb down the toy cabinet, bringing a couple of ribbons and tying them around the large cuts.

"There. That should at least stop the bleeding," Kenny says before he and Dawn frown sadly and they along with Serena and the Nutcracker turn to see Helga cradling Entalmorfious on the floor with Hillary standing next to her crying. The old soldier groans in pain while his beloved wife holds him with a grim face.

"Oh my poor, poor, Entalmorfious," Helga says trying to fight her tears. "Why did you have to be such a brave fool?"

"D-d-d-d-daddy!" Hillary whines as tears run down her face.

"Oh, Entalmorfious. I wish there was something we can do to fix you," Serena says sadly.

"Actually, there is a way," Kenny says. "We need to take him to the Land of the Dolls immediately."

"The Land of the Dolls is a real place?" Serena asks surprised.

"Well, of course, it is," Dawn says.

"But how do they get there?" The Nutcracker asks.

"Easy. We go inside the fort," Dawn says pointing at the toy fort standing on the other side of the Christmas tree.

"We better hurry," Helga says seriously. "I don't know how much longer my husband can stay alive."

"Right," Kenny says. "Serena, we need you to pick us up to the fort."

"Okay," Serena says as she puts the Nutcracker on the table where the fort is and starts picking up the rest of the dolls and putting them on the table, starting with Entalmorfious and Helga, then Hillary, then finally Dawn and Kenny. Then Dawn and Kenny walk over to the front gate of the fort and Dawn climbs up to set the clock above it to twelve a clock. The fort suddenly lights up and Christmas music starts playing again, with the toys look in awe.

"Everyone, let's get inside," Helga instructs.

The Nutcracker nods and turns to Serena.

"Come with us," he says.

"I wish I could," Serena says sadly. "But I am much too tall to get in unless…"

The honey blonde girl turns to the ghost figure of Uncle Timothy and the figure nods with a smile. It waves its hands again causing glittering sparkles to fall on Serena. The next thing she knows, she starts to shrink rapidly and so quickly jumps onto the edge of the table where the Nutcracker helps her up. She looks at herself and chuckles in amazement as she realizes that she's the same size as the dolls.

"This is so strange," she giggles.

"One gets used to it," The Nutcracker says making both of them laugh.

Suddenly, they hear the soft sound of Shauna meowing. Serena crawls to the edge of the table and sees her kitten looking up at her sadly.

"Don't worry, Shauna. I won't be long. I promise," she assures.

"Serena, Your Highness, let's get going," Helga calls out as she and Hillary carry Entalmorfious into the fort.

Serena and the Nutcracker nod and with Nutcracker putting Serena's arm around his head to help her walk; they enter the fort, closing the gate behind them. Shauna still looks at the fort sadly as she still wants to follow her owner.

The kitten then walks away sadly and notices Powuru's motionless body lying nearby. She becomes curious and slowly walks over to the rat and gently nudges his side. The rat remains motionless and Shauna decides to lean its head closer to him.

Suddenly, a venomous growl is heard from the rat's mouth and the poor kitten shrieks and runs out of the living room in fear. Powuru coughs up blood and struggles to get up with his right paw on his wound. He lifts his head to see the fort shining bright and playing music and his anger grows as he slowly starts to walk toward the toy castle.


	6. Chapter 6

Serena's eyes widen in amazement as she and the dolls walk further into the fort with the Nutcracker supporting her for her injured feet. Each room or hall they pass through is beautifully detailed and majestic looking. Serena secretly tells herself to remember to praise Uncle Timothy further for his hard work on the fort that is sadly wasted on her younger siblings. Eventually, the group makes it to the grand hall where wooden figures of soldiers and noble ladies are robotically dancing together.

"How beautiful," Serena says in awe. "They almost look life-like when you're so close to them."

"I agree," the Nutcracker says with a smile as they walk through the hall. "My uncle really is a wizard at these things."

Serena nods with a smile before she turns to the Nutcracker in confusion.

"Speaking of which, Nutcracker, I have to ask; are you really Uncle Timothy's nephew, Ash?" She asks.

"Yes, I am," the Nutcracker says sincerely.

"So you really were cursed by Powuru's mother, the Rat Queen?" Serena asks.

"Yes, I believe I was," the Nutcracker confirms before his face turns serious. "Honestly, Serena, all I really remember is feeling something bite my foot while I was breaking Princess Giselle's spell and everything went blank. The next thing I knew, it was the middle of the night, I was inside the toy cabinet of a house and the toys were alive and Powuru and his army surrounded this orange haired girl named Misty. The toys were calling me their prince that has to save them and their owner, leaving me to reluctantly face Powuru and his rats in battle with the toys."

Serena looks at the Nutcracker baffled as they walk.

"That sounds almost exactly like what happened last night," Serena states.

"That's what's even stranger about this whole thing; it kept happening," Ash says. "When I was fighting to defend Misty, we were starting to lose and Powuru was about to attack me, but then everything went blank again and I woke up in a different toy cabinet in a different house and the whole thing started again, this time with a girl named Melody."

Serena blinks in disbelief.

"So you were just given to different girls while Powuru kept looking for you?" She asks.

"I guess so," the Nutcracker says honestly. "Everything happened all over again with Powuru finding me and I had to face him in battle with all the toys Melody had in her household only for us to be losing and everything to go blank and the whole thing starts all over again. There was also Bianca, May, and Iris and it all ended the same way. I would learn how to be a better commander of my own army little by little, but it was still nothing compared to how much planning Powuru had done while building his army more and more no matter how many the toy and I killed in each battle."

Serena continues to stare at the Nutcracker, baffled with how every battle sounds very similar to the one that occurred last night.

"But if that is true, then what was different about last night?" She asks. "Was it because I threw my slipper at Powuru before he could attack you with that candle?"

"I believe so," the Nutcracker says with a smile. "Without your interference, we wouldn't have won the battle and there's no telling where I might have gone next. I think that's the reason I am still in your house."

Serena smiles sweetly and says, "Well, I'm glad that you could stay with me."

"So am I," the Nutcracker says and suddenly stops walking to look at Serena deeply in her eyes. "And I'm really happy that I got to see you again, Serena."

Serena stares at the Nutcracker with her cheeks turning pink as the Nutcracker continues.

"I was telling the truth last night when I said I was that boy you met in Cerulean City," he says. "I was bummed that my mother couldn't afford for me to stay there for more ballet lessons and so I had to go back to Pallet Town and learn to dance there. I was working hard to become the best ballet dancer I could be because I knew you were going to do the same."

"So...you were practicing to see me?" Serena asks, touched. "You were trying to become a ballet dancer even to the point of saying that in front of King Giovanni of all people just to see me again?"

"Yes," the Nutcracker says sincerely. "And it saddens me that I was prevented from doing so because of these stupid spells and evil rats and everything. But at the same time, I'm happy because this whole commotion brought me to your house...even if I would have liked to be here under much better circumstances."

Serena giggles cutely and nods.

"So do I," she says. "Although, apart from my legs getting cut, I admit the encounters with Powuru seems worth it just to experience being here in Uncle Timothy's fort with the dolls.

The Nutcracker nods in agreement until they hear Helga shout, "Your Highness, Serena, hurry up! We need to get going!"

Serena and the Nutcracker nod and continue walking, both secretly sad that the old doll interrupted their moment. The Nutcracker continues to support Serena with her injured feet as they follow the dolls to the other side of the fort. Serena gasps softly to discover that the other side is a large, beautiful garden with a big pond shining in the moonlight above countless stars.

"This is wonderful," Serna says in awe. "But how is this possible? We should only be on the other side of the table instead of here."

"Maybe it's some kind of magic," the Nutcracker suggests.

Serena thinks for a moment before she smiles and says, "Yes, I think you're right."

Suddenly, three shadowy figures fly above Serena, the Nutcracker, and the dolls. They look up and gaze in awe as they see three giant swans wearing golden necklaces flying above them. Each one of them has a carriage-like saddle strapped on their backs big enough for three people to get in. The swans swoop down and gracefully land on the pond. They swim over to the edge of the platform and turn to Serena and the dolls.

"Are we supposed to get on them?" The Nutcracker asks.

"Well, of course, we are," Dawn says. "Entalmorfious, Helga, and Hillary will take the leading one since they're the priority, you and Lady Serena will take the middle one and my Kennykins and I will get on the last one. Sound good, everyone?"

The group nods in agreement and so Helga and Hillary help Entalmorfious up on the leading swan. The Nutcracker walks over to the middle one and offers Serena's hand. The honey blonde girl blushes and smiles sweetly as she accepts his hand and he helps her up. Dawn, however, just picks up Kenny on her shoulder like a large sack of potatoes and climbs on the last swan, much to her husband's whiny annoyance. Then, the swans spread their wings and start flapping them. Serena quickly wraps her arms around the Nutcracker, feeling nervous as the birds leave the ground and start to get higher and higher off the ground. The Nutcracker smiles and hugs her back comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Serena. We're going to be just fine," he says.

Serena looks up to him and gives him a sweet, appreciative smile. The swans spread their wings apart and start floating in the air. They fly over a large green pasture until they reach a giant cave. The swans fly right into the cave and everything is so dark that Serena can barely see the Nutcracker's face. Her only comfort is feeling his arms still holding her tightly so that she knows he is still there. Finally, after several minutes, they see a light in front of the swans. They watch in anticipation until the light gets bigger and bigger, revealing to be an exit right in the middle of a waterfall. Serena closes her eyes and braces herself as the swans fly out of the cave and soar right through the glittering waterfall.

"Serena, open your eyes," she hears the Nutcracker say.

Serena hesitates for a moment before she carefully opens her eyes and gasps. Not only is she completely dry, but her nightgown has disappeared and in its place, Serena is wearing a beautiful pink and red dress and red slippers on her feet and the ribbons on her ankles are gone to show that her cuts are completely gone with no hint of scars whatsoever.

"You look absolutely beautiful," the Nutcracker says sincerely.

Serena turns to see him looking at her with a heartfelt, sincere smile on his face and his uniform looks fancier than before. Even the cut on his arm has completely disappeared.

"And you look very distinguished," she says with a sweet smile before she realizes something. "Wait, if our injuries are gone, does that mean -?"

Suddenly, the two of them hear joyous laughing and turn to the swan in front of them and see Entalmorfious holding his hands in the air and giggling happily like a child. The old soldier is dressed in a fine suit while Helga and Hillary are wearing new, shiny dresses as they hug him tightly.

"Daddy!" Hillary yells happily as she hugs her father.

"Oh my dear Entalmorfious, you're as good as new!" Helga says warmly.

"Indeed, I feel like a young man just like when we first met, my dear," Entalmorfious says as the three of them laugh together.

Serena and the Nutcracker smile at the family's joyous moment and turn around to the other swan and see Dawn in a white and pink dress squeezing and kissing Kenny who is wearing a fancy, aqua-green suit.

"Oh, my Kenny-wenny-boo, you look so handsome. Yes, you do," Dawn coos happily as she decorates her husband's face with kisses. "Oh, I just eat you up. Yes, I could."

"Dawn, not so tight," Kenny whines with his face deep red from the affection. "And please stop calling me by those names already!"

Serena and the Nutcracker laugh out loud at the couple's behavior as the swans fly over to a giant castle. Serena stares in awe to see that the building is completely made out of gingerbread and frosting. Every tower has a statue on top made of gingerbread, cake batter, gumdrops, candy canes and other sorts of candy. As the swans gently fly down to the castle gate, Serena and the dolls see entire crowds of dolls and other toys waiting for them. The swans gracefully land and a toy soldier marches toward Serena and the Nutcracker's swan, opens the carriage door and salutes them.

"Prince Nutcracker, Lady Serena, the court awaits you," the toy soldier says.

"Oh, thank you," the Nutcracker says, taken aback by the toy's formality before turning to Serena and offering his arm. "My lady?"

Serena giggles and accepts the Nutcracker's arm as they get off the swan. Entalmorfious, meanwhile, hops off the carriage to his swan and opens the carriage door for Hillary and Helga to get off before the three of them follow Serena and the Nutcracker with the old soldier's wife and daughter holding both of his arms. Dawn opens her and Kenny's carriage from the inside and drags her husband out of the carriage, snuggling her head against Kenny's shoulder as they follow the rest of the group.

Two toy soldiers simultaneously open both sides of the castle doors and Serena, the Nutcracker and their friends enter to find countless dolls cheering for them on both sides of the hallway. From the ground floor to the balconies above them, dolls of every kind are waving banners and tossing streamers and balloons into the air as the group walks down the hall. Serena smiles at all the happy commotion and turns to the Nutcracker who is looking nervous.

"I think you're supposed to wave," she whispers.

"Oh...uh, right," the Nutcracker says with a nervous, toothy grin.

The Nutcracker waves awkwardly, and the dolls continue to cheer even louder. Behind the Nutcracker and Serena, Entalmorfious gives the dolls a salute while walking beside his family and Dawn waves bubbly while holding on to Kenny, making him feel bashful. The group then enters a grand hall where countless more dolls are joyfully waiting for them. At the center of the hall are large tables full of cakes and pudding and other kinds of desserts. Beside the tables is a large doll orchestra waiting eagerly for the group. The doll conductor stands tall and looks at Serena and the Nutcracker with a smile.

"Your Highness, my lady, it is custom to begin the celebration with a ballet dance," he says. "If it pleases you, we are ready to begin when you are."

The Nutcracker smiles and turns to Serena and gives her a bow.

"May I have this dance?" He asks.

Serena smiles brightly and with a curtsy says, "Oh yes, please."

The Nutcracker gives the conductor a nod and the conductor taps his baton against the music stand and the entire hall falls silent. Then with a wave of the conductor's hand, the orchestra begins to play soft, romantic music. The Nutcracker takes Serena's hand and the two begin to dance gracefully. The entire crowd watches silently as the two of them twirl and tiptoe with their hands in the air. Helga leans her head against Entalmorfious' shoulder and the old soldier lays his head against hers as they and Hillary watch with small smiles on their faces. Even Kenny returns Dawn's affection as they hold each other and watch the Nutcracker lift the honey blonde girl up in the air and spin her four times before gently putting her down.

The more they dance, the more Serena is in complete bliss. Her eyes are glued to the Nutcracker's lovingly as they dance. The two of them continue to dance flawlessly until the music begins to die down, stating that the song is almost over. Serena feels sad inside that the dance is ending, but at the same time, she is happy to have such an experience with the Nutcracker. When the song ends, Nutcracker dips Serena with a tight grin. The crowd cheers and after he helps her up, Serena gives the Nutcracker another curtsy. The Nutcracker smiles warmly and suddenly takes both of Serena's hands and gets down on one knee.

"Serena?" He asks.

"What?" Serena asks back.

"Stay with me."

Serena's heart skips a beat and she stares at the doll surprised.

"What did you say?" she asks.

"Stay," the Nutcracker repeats. "Become my princess and live with me in the Land of the Dolls forever."

Serena's mouth drops and her cheeks turn pink.

"Are...are you serious?" She asks.

"I am," the Nutcracker says as he stands up. "I love you, Serena. I always have. Together we can rule this land and dance whenever we want and be happy with all of our friends."

Serena's cheeks turn from pink to red and her heart beats rapidly from the Nutcracker's words. After a moment, she smiles warmly, making the Nutcracker's own smile grow. Entalmorfious, Helga, Hillary, Dawn, Kenny, and all of the other dolls in the castle smile and cheer happily.

But suddenly, Serena's smile falters and she looks away from the Nutcracker. Her thoughts of accepting the doll's proposal are suddenly interrupted by her mother's words.

"She should be focusing on traveling the world as a ballerina like she wants to, not indulging in some made up fantasy."

Serena's heart sinks and her face turns crestfallen making the Nutcracker look at her concerned.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

Serena winces, hesitant to answer.

"Oh Nutcracker," she says sadly. "I want to. I really want to stay with you, but… oh, I don't know. I'm so confused."

Serena moves back letting go of the Nutcracker's hands. The doll looks at her visibly hurt while the crowd watches in shock.

"It's just that...well, the Land of the Dolls is where you all belong," Serena says uneasily. "But the truth is my mother is right; I want to grow up. I want to become a professional ballet dancer and travel around the world and meet new people and see new places. That has been my dream since before we met. I care for you, Nutcracker, I truly do, but I cannot stay in the Land of the Dolls forever."

The Nutcracker looks at the honey blonde girl crushed. If the wooden doll has a human heart inside, it would be breaking into thousands of pieces. Serena tries to think of something to comfort him, but no words are coming out of her mouth.

"Daddy!"

"Entalmorfious!"

Serena and the Nutcracker turn around to see Helga and Hillary kneeling beside Entalmorfious. The old toy soldier lies motionless with his colors faded and his eyes devoid of life.

"What's happened?" Serena asks.

Helga's face turns grim and she turns to the honey blonde girl.

"The magic here is fading," she says. "It only lasts as long as you are willing to stay, but now we can't stay awake anymore."

"What?" Serena says shocked. "No, please, Helga, I don't mean it like that, I don't want any of you to go. Helga?"

It takes a moment before Serena realizes that Helga has also become lifeless and falls down next to Entalmorfious and Hillary turns inanimate as well and falls on top of her father. Serena watches in horror as Kenny and Dawn and all the other dolls in the castle fall down lifeless one by one.

"Oh, please don't do this, you're all wonderful," Serena begs as she rushes to the doll's side and picks up Helga with a pleading look. "I wish I could stay. I really do. But I could never survive on nothing but candy."

The inanimate doll remains lifeless. Serena lets go of it and turns to the Nutcracker, who looks at her brokenhearted.

"Nutcracker, please understand," she says. "If I don't come back my family will worry about me. Why even Calem and Mairin will miss me. Shauna needs me. I -"

"Serena, look out!" The Nutcracker shouts suddenly.

Serena turns around and screams in horror as she sees Powuru standing right behind her. The giant rat hisses and wheezes violently as he holds on to his wound and glares at Serena with an intent to kill in his bloodshot eyes. Serena backs away from him just in time to avoid a weak swing from his sword. She turns to the Nutcracker for help but gasps in horror to see him on the ground.

"Nutcracker, no!" She says running to his side. "Please don't change too!"

But the Nutcracker only groans weakly and falls down on his back. His right arm has already turned into solid wood and his eyelids are struggling to stay open.

"S...Serena take my sword," he says. "Save...yourself."

"No, Nutcracker, you've got to get up!" Serena pleads as Powuru slowly walks over to them. "Please stay awake! Please!"

"Serena," the Nutcracker says quietly. "Don't give up until it's...over, Serena...Serena...Sereeeennnnaaaa…"

Serena's pupils shrink and her heart sinks as the doll's voice fades completely. The next thing she knows, she hears a stretching sound and her beloved doll turns large and wide again with a robotic grin and open eyes that show no sign of life except a small tear in the corner of the right eye. The Nutcracker is one again a lifeless toy.

"Nutcracker!" Serena screams. "Nutcracker, no! No, wake up! Change back! Please change back!"

But her cries are interrupted by a raspy snarl from Powuru is only a few feet away from her. Serena gasps in horror before she draws the Nutcracker's sword from its sheath as quick as possible and stands up holding the weapon in her best defensive stance.

The rat king takes another swing with his sword and nearly knocks Serena's sword off her hands. Her fear grows as she realizes that the wounded rodent is still strong enough to overpower her despite his weak state. She tightens her grip as best as she can and starts backing away as Powuru keeps swinging his sword back and forth. Each time his black and blood-red sword clashes with Serena's, she struggles to hold on to her weapon. Her body begins to shake uncontrollably as the rat continues to force her back.

Finally, she bumps into something solid behind her and she gasps realizing that she's backed into the edge of a balcony. Terror fills her face while Powuru chokes out a cruel cackle and raises his sword. Serena's eyes begin to water for fear of death until she notices Powuru is still holding his sword up but not moving. She takes a moment to realize he's struggling to move with his body losing energy and she has an opening to attack.

With all the remaining courage she can muster, Serena fights back the tears, points the Nutcracker's sword toward her enemy and lunges forward. The blade stabs Powuru right in the middle of his chest and pierces right through his body with the point sticking out of his back.

Serena looks up to see Powuru's eyes widen and blood starting to drop from his mouth. The rat king stays completely still for a moment with his sword still raised until he slowly loses balance leaning forward. Serena moves away and Powuru falls on the gingerbread railing that quickly breaks against his weight. Serena hears the rat let out a weak "no," as he falls off the balcony. Serena freezes in place until she hears a distant splash from down below. She dares to look down from the balcony where at the bottom she can see Powuru's golden crown stand afloat in the castle's river for a moment before it sinks into the watery abyss and is never seen again.

Serena lets out a huge sigh of relief and puts her hands on her heart. She pants for a few moments before she turns to the grand hall and suddenly gasps. She goes back inside and looks in devastation that the room is completely empty. None of the tables or food or musical instruments or any of the dolls are anywhere to be found. All that can be seen is a white mist slowly forming all over the area.

Serena's heart breaks as she sees no sign of her nutcracker. She runs all over the hall to find the inanimate doll lying on the floor where she left him only to find no trace of him, Entalmorfious, Helga, Hillary, Dawn, Kenny, or any of the other dolls.

"Nutcracker," she chokes out in tears. "Nutcracker, where are you? Where did you go?"

Nothing is heard but the echo of her voice.

"Oh, Nutcracker, come back!" she sobs. "Come back to me, please!"

Again, no sound is heard except her words echoing. The mist starts to grow thicker with each passing second. Serena gets down on her hands and knees and cries harder.

"Ash!" She sobs. "Ash, I love you! I love you, I do!"

Whatever remains of Serena's heart suddenly feels lighter for the briefest moment from her confession, but the pain returns just as quickly and is worse than before when she realizes she's too late.

"Ash, I love you!" She repeats. "I want to stay with you! I want to be by your side always! I don't care if it's in the Land of the Dolls or at home or Kanto or anywhere else in the world! I'll stay by your side and love you always. Just come back! Please, come back to me! Ash! Ash! ASH!"

Her cries remain unheard as she lies down the floor and hugs herself, still calling out the boy's name desperately. The mist grows more and more until the castle is completely gone and nothing is left. Serena continues to cry out Ash's name as the mist becomes so thick that she can't see anything in front of her face.

And then she woke up.


	7. Chapter 7

Serena opens her eyes to see they are filled with tears. She sits up and looks around to find that she's back in her bed, wearing her nightgown and the morning sun shining on her bedroom windows. She looks around silently while tears start to run down her face.

"Wa…" she says quietly. "Was it just a...just a…"

Her heart sinks as she is unable to say the last word. Her mouth quivers and she starts to silently cry hugging herself.

Suddenly, she hears rapid knocking on her door.

"Serena! Serena!" Calem calls out from the other side.

"Go away, Calem!" Serena snaps.

Having not heard his older sister, Calem opens the door and runs over to Serena with an excited look on his face.

"Serena, you're not going to believe this. Shauna caught a rat behind the toy fort!" he says enthusiastically.

"Not now, Calem," Serena whimpers, not looking at her brother.

"But it was the biggest rat you've ever seen," Calem says persistently. "It's about twice the size of a normal rat. It's got these bloodshot eyes and crooked teeth and this ugly, flat, burnt and crooked tail!"

Serena's eyes widen and she stops crying. She turns to Calem, shocked.

"What did the tail look like?" She asks.

"It was flat, burned and crooked," Calem answers. "And the fight must have been intense because it looks like she bit is so hard that it has two holes on its chest and one on its back."

Serena's pupils shrink and she looks down in thought.

"Powuru," she says softly.

"What was that?" Calem asks.

But Serena doesn't hear her brother. Instead, she lifts the covers, jumps out of her bed and races out of the room. Calem calls out her name, but she doesn't care. She runs down the stairs and into the living room where Mr. Sycamore is sitting on a chair reading the newspaper and Mairin is sitting down on the fireplace, playing with Dawn and Kenny. Serena runs to the other side of the room where she sees a giant dead rat that matches Calem's description lying behind the fort.

Serena smiles and opens the toy cabinet only to gasp in shock to find the nutcracker missing from his spot. All the other dolls and toys apart from Dawn and Kenny are standing in their place untouched but the nutcracker is nowhere to be found. She stares in devastation to see no sign of her beloved toy anywhere.

"Sugar Plum, are you alright?" Serena hears her father say from his chair.

Serena ignores him and stares at the spot where the Nutcracker was. New tears slowly emerge from her eyes as she tries to figure out what happened.

Suddenly, she runs out of the room with her father still calling her and opens the coat closet in the entrance hall.

"Serena, what are you doing out of bed?" Grace asks as Serena searches through the clothes until she finds her coat.

The honey blonde girl puts her coat on swiftly and without saying a word to her mother, puts on her boots, opens the door and runs out of the house with haste. Her parents and Calem call out to her and even Aria and Pierre who are just about to enter the house ask what's wrong, but she doesn't say a word to anyone. Her mind is only set on one destination and she's desperate to get there as quickly as her legs can carry her through the forest and into town where she reaches the door to Uncle Timothy's shop.

"Uncle Timothy! Uncle Timothy!" She cries out as she bangs on her door repeatedly. "Uncle Timothy, answer me, please! I need to talk to you!"

Unbeknownst to the poor girl, her godfather lifts the curtain to his store window and notices her banging on the door and crying out his name. A pleased smirk enters his face as he moves away from the window, and opens the door with an innocent smile on his face.

"Why Serena, what a lovely surprise," he says, pretending to be astonished. "Come in. Come in."

Serena rushes inside and grabs Uncle Timothy by the shirt, struggling the urge not to cry.

"Uncle Timothy, the nutcracker is gone!" She says with a desperate look.

"What? What are you talking about?" Uncle Timothy asks acting appalled.

"Uncle Timothy, please, I need to know," Serena begs. "Is the nutcracker really your nephew? Is Ash alright? Is he free or do you even have a nephew at all? Was there a rat king? I'm so confused that I don't know what to believe. Please tell me!"

Uncle Timothy drops his act and gives the poor girl a small smile, deciding it is time.

"Come with me, my child," he says as he puts his arm around her.

Serena silently obeys as Uncle Timothy guides her to the other side of the shop. Her heart suddenly stops as she hears Mr. Coovers and another familiar voice coming from the back door. Uncle Timothy opens the door and Serena enters to find herself in her godfather's living room where she sees Mr. Coovers and a young man with brown eyes, raven hair, and z marks on his cheeks sitting down on a sofa next to the fireplace talking to each other. Serena's eyes are glued to the boy while Uncle Timothy clears his throat. Mr. Coovers and the boy turn their heads and the boy stares at Serena for a moment before he smiles and stands up.

"Serena," Uncle Timothy begins with a smile. "I would like you to meet my nephew, Ash."

Serena's heart skips a beat at hearing his name. She smiles and puts her hands together as she walks a couple steps closer to the boy.

"Hello...Ash," she says.

Ash's smile grows and he walks over to Serena and gives her a bow.

"Hello, Serena," he says kindly.

Serena keeps smiling until she realizes that her questions are not entirely answered.

"Ash...do you...remember me?" She asks hesitantly. "Do you...remember anything about Powuru or the dolls or the castle or -"

Ash grins and puts his finger on Serena's lips for silence. The honey blonde girl stares at Ash nervously until he caresses her cheek and gives her a sweet smile.

"I remember everything," he says. "Thank you so much for freeing me, Serena."

At those words, Serena stays still for a moment before her eyes begin to water again. She runs toward Ash, squeezes him with all her might and begins sobbing hysterically on his shoulder. Ash is taken aback by this for a moment before he smiles again and tightly hugs her back.

"I'm sorry!" Serena sobs. "I'm so sorry! I wish I didn't say almost those things to you! I want to take back everything I said and just stay in the castle with you and -"

Ash shushes Serena gently and pets her head.

"It's okay, Serena. Really," he says soothingly. "Everything worked out fine. Powuru is dead and you broke the spell by declaring your love."

"And I meant it too," Serena says firmly as she lifts her head to look at Ash dead in the eyes. "I love you and I want to stay by your side always. I will always love you, I swear it. Please tell me you feel the same way."

Ash smiles and caresses Serena's cheek again. Then without warning, he leans in and kisses her firmly on the lips. Serena's pupils shrink and she stands still for a moment before she closes her eyes and pulls him closer to deepen the kiss. Their lips remain connected until both of them need air and so break apart for Ash to look at Serena lovingly.

"Serena, my life is yours," he says. "I vow to always love you back, supporting you and honoring you wherever you go. As The Lord is my witness, I will do everything in my power to make you happy no matter what comes your way."

Serena smiles sweetly as her heart melts and she leans into for another deep kiss. When the two part, she rests her head on his shoulder and they continue to hold each other while Serena sees Uncle Timothy and Mr. Coovers watching the moment fondly.

"I still have several questions," she says honestly.

The two men let out a hearty laugh.

"We would be surprised if you didn't," Mr. Coovers chortles. "Matter of fact, we were in the middle of filling the blanks for Ash when you arrived."

"Indeed," Uncle Timothy says in agreement. "Why don't you sit down and we can clear everything for both of you.

Ash and Serena smile and nod in agreement before sitting down on the sofa while still holding each other tightly. Serena thinks hard for a moment before she asks her first question.

"So everything in your story during the Christmas party was true, Uncle Timothy?" she asks.

"Oh, more or less," Uncle Timothy answers with a chuckle. "I may have made several modifications as to what was actually said during parts of the story that I'm not in, but everything I said happened is the truth."

"Although, he wasn't entirely lying about the broken clock either," Mr. Coovers says stepping in. "There really was a clock that King Giovanni liked that wasn't functioning properly because of old age and he likely would not have taken the news that it should be retired very well. So as far as either of us are concerned, that was a half-truth."

Uncle Timothy nods in agreement and Serena smiles before she asks the next question.

"So were you really watching us over the grandfather clock?" she asks. "And if so, how did you bring the toys to life. Or more to the point, why did you bring them to life?"

Uncle Timothy rubs the back of his head and says, "Well… it's a little complicated, but from what we found when we were looking for a cure with Oak the Sage, it was...necessary to bring the toys to life and aid Ash when fighting against Powuru and his rats."

"Necessary?" Serena asks confused.

"Yeah, we apparently had to turn the dolls and toys to life because Ash specifically had to face Powuru as the Prince of the Dolls and so had to have subjects to lead and fight Powuru's army for him." Mr. Coovers explains. "As long as he had subjects to lead and a young lady to watch over him, the magic behind Ash and the other dolls was in effect."

"But why didn't you do anything to help?" Serena asks.

"Because simply put, we were not allowed to, dear child," Uncle Timothy answers. "The way the magic works, I could not interfere because only Ash could face Powuru and win the heart of the girl who owns the nutcracker. I could do nothing but keep him and the toys awake until the deed was done or until Powuru was close enough to killing him and the girl would do nothing to try to save him."

"So that's why everything went blank every time I was losing in battle when I was living in those other houses?" Ash asks.

"Pretty much," Mr. Coovers says with a shrug. "You see girls like Misty and Melody and May and so forth were all daughters of friends of ours from across the regions. We hoped that since they are very nice and friendly girls that either of them could be the one to succeed where Princess Giselle did not in loving Ash for who he is. So for the past couple of years, the nutcracker was given to either of these girls as a gift for a birthday or Christmas and the girl would like the gift at first, but when Powuru tracked down Ash's whereabouts and made another attempt on his life one night, each girl feared for their lives and did nothing to support Ash. So we used what magic we have learned to take Ash away and wipe the memory of the nutcracker from the girls so that Powuru would leave them and their families alone and thus he would have to find the nutcracker all over again."

"We realize that caring that much for a new doll that had just come to life and started fighting off giant rats would be a bit much, but there was no other way to try to break the curse," Uncle Timothy says scratching the back of his head. "In that regard, it is clear that the Rat Queen knew what she was doing when she cast the spell on Ash."

Serena tightens her grip on Ash, at the mention of Ash trapped under the spell. The raven-haired boy smiles fondly and kisses her head to ease her mind. She smiles sweetly at him before turning to the two men and asks, "So was that what you were doing in Unova, Mr. Coovers?"

"Yes, it was," Mr. Coovers answers. "The last girl we tried to have break the spell before you was a girl named Iris. Ash was given to her on her birthday and...well, let's just say she could have been more supportive than constantly calling Ash a kid while he was fighting armored rats with her collection of toy dragons. And believe me, that's not as amazing as it sounds."

"And that's when you chose me next," Serena states.

"Indeed," Mr. Coovers says. "I admit I was skeptical of you at first, no offense, but your godfather was very positive that you would succeed where all those other girls did not."

"Really, Uncle Timothy?" Serena asks surprised.

"Of course, child," Uncle Timothy says with a warm smile. "I consider myself a poor godfather if I didn't see how you are quite the kind and loving girl that you are. I admit it was a risk to give the nutcracker to you when you are so close to becoming an adult and thus would have no desire to even look at a doll again, but by this time, both of you would be seventeen, so I thought it was logical to give the nutcracker to someone who is around his age. Besides, everyone knows you still have a fascination for dolls despite your age, so I figured you were the best candidate to finally break the spell and you did."

Serena smiles and nods before she frowns and says, "I wish you could have told me this yesterday when you came back with the nutcracker fixed. It would have spared me much confusion over what is real and what isn't."

"So do I, my child," Uncle Timothy says sincerely. "But unfortunately, it was also a rule that you had to be challenged with what you do or do not believe and everything that transpired had to be a secret to the rest of the world so no one else could know about an army of rats or magic or anything else."

"Sounds irritatingly convoluted," Ash says.

"Oh excruciatingly so," Mr. Coovers says with a scoff. "When you really get down to it, it's like your uncle said, Powuru's mother knew what she was doing when she was putting the spell on you and also the spell on Princess Giselle. As surely as The Lord lives, we are fortunate that you and Serena were able to fit the specific criteria to break each of the Rat Queen's spells."

Ash and Serena nod before the latter frowns and asks, "But didn't you say that Ash was supposed to kill the rat king and not me?"

"Indeed I did," Uncle Timothy says. "But I think Powuru was already dying when he chased you all the way to the Land of the Dolls. You just delivered the blow that finished him off."

"And even so, I think the important thing is Powuru is gone forever and Ash is finally free," Mr. Coovers says.

Ash smiles warmly and he turns to Serena and pecks her on the cheek.

"And I'm so thankful that I am and that it was you who saved me, Serena," he says.

Serena's cheeks turn red but this time she smiles back not minding at all. The two of them share another kiss until Ash suddenly breaks it realizing something.

"Wait a minute," he says turning to Uncle Timothy and Mr. Coovers. "What about my mother? Does she know what happened to me?"

Uncle Timothy opens his mouth to answer, but he hears someone open the front door and a female voice calling him out from the store.

"Timothy?"

Ash suddenly lets go of Serena and stands up, staring at the door.

"In the living room, Delia," Uncle Timothy calls out before turning to Ash with a smile. "Your mother has known about your curse ever since it happened, but she doesn't know that you're free yet."

Serena looks at her godfather surprised before she stands up and places her hand on Ash's shoulder. Ash turns to her briefly and smiles before he faces the door again just in time to see Delia entering the room. The woman opens her mouth to speak to Uncle Timothy until her gaze is on the raven-haired boy. Both mother and son stare at each other silently for a moment until Delia slowly walks toward Ash.

"Ash?" She asks in disbelief. "Sweetie, is it really you?"

Ash stays frozen in place until his eyes start to water. Delia's mouth quivers until both of them run towards each other and embrace tightly in tears.

"Momma," Ash whimpers while laying his head against his mother's shoulder.

"Ash!" Delia sobs. "Oh, Ash, my baby boy!"

Serena, Uncle Timothy, and Mr. Coovers smile warmly at the happy moment. Delia squeezes her son tightly as she turns to Uncle Timothy.

"Is that horrible rodent gone?" She asks.

"Yes," Uncle Timothy says assuringly. "The rat king won't threaten Ash any more thanks to my goddaughter, Serena, here."

Delia turns to Serena who suddenly feels uneasy to be looked at by the mother of the boy she loves. The older woman stares at the honey blonde girl while still hugging her son for a moment before she stretches out one of her arms toward Serena. Serena hesitates before she takes Delia's hand only to find the woman pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you, child," Delia whispers to Serena as she hugs her and Ash tightly. "Thank you for bringing my boy back to me."

Serena stands still, taken aback before she smiles and returns the hug.

"You're welcome, madam," she replies.

The three of them hold on to their embrace until Ash's eyes snap open and he lifts his head to look at his mother.

"Oh yeah, Momma, Serena is also the girl I told you about. The one I met in ballet class," he says.

Serena turns to Ash and blushes.

"You told your mother about me?" She asks bewildered.

Delia turns her head back and forth between both teenagers befuddled.

"So the girl you helped when you took that class in Cerulean City is also your uncle's goddaughter and the girl who freed you from the curse?" She asks.

"Yes, and she is the girl I love," Ash declares.

Both Delia and Serena turn to Ash shocked at his abrupt declaration.

"You can't be in love, Ash, you just saw this girl again for the first time in years and have been a nutcracker all this time," Delia says.

"But it's true, Momma," Ash says as he, Delia and Serena break their embrace. "And it was Serena's love for me that also freed me from the spell."

Delia stares at her son speechless. She turns to Uncle Timothy who nods and then to Serena.

"Is this true?" She asks.

Serena swallows nervously before she honestly says, "Yes, I love your son dearly. More than anything I want to stay by his side always."

Serena wraps her arms around Ash to back up her claim while Ash wraps his arm around her. Delia looks at both of them and eventually gives in with a smile.

"Very well, if you love each other that much, then who am I to deny that you two be together," she says. "But you better wait a long while before thinking about getting married."

This time, both teenagers blush and look away from each other bashfully much to the amusement of the adults.

"Your mother is right, son," Mr. Coovers says with a teasing grin. "You may want to catch up with what you've been missing before thinking you can support yourself much less a lady like Serena."

"Actually, I have been thinking about that before Serena came here," Ash admits before turning to Serena. "I want to stay here in Kalos and go to school and maybe be an apprentice to Uncle Timothy in his shop."

"You do?" Serena says. "But don't you want to be a ballet dancer?"

"I did, but I care for you more and I know how ballet means more to you than me," Ash says. "You want to become a great ballet dancer, and I want to support you by becoming a craftsman like Uncle Timothy and gain a steady income for you. I want to be able to aid you however I can until you have reached your goal and then we can get married. Would you be willing to wait until then?"

Serena blinks for a moment before she smiles sweetly and caresses Ash's cheek.

"As long as you are by my side, I'll wait forever until we are ready," she says.

Ash smiles back at her and the two lean in for a kiss. When they part, Ash turns to his mother and asks, "Is it alright if we stay here, Momma?"

Delia smirks and says, "Well, I have no intention of letting you out of my sight again, so wherever you and Serena go, I go."

Ash and Serena nod appreciatively and turn to Uncle Timothy.

"Would you be willing to accept me as your apprentice, Uncle?" He asks.

Uncle Timothy chuckles with his mouth closed.

"But of course, my boy," he says. "Though I must warn you that learning to do what I do for a living will be difficult."

"Worse than constantly fighting for my life against a bloodthirsty rat king?" Ash challenges.

"Well...perhaps not," Uncle Timothy admits. "But it will be hard nonetheless and I imagine catching up with four years of school missed will not be a pleasant experience either."

Ash turns to Serena and smiles, still holding her.

"For Serena, I will handle anything," he says.

Serena smiles and lays her head on his shoulder. The adults smile warmly at the way the young couple holds each other dearly. As Ash kisses Serena on the top of her head again, Serena lets out a blissful sigh believing everything is going to be alright.


	8. Chapter 8

_20 years later..._

Serena moans as she slowly opens her eyes. The first thing she sees is large snowflakes heavily falling down on the other side of her bedroom window. She smiles as she realizes it's Christmas morning. She rolls over on her bed and stretches out her arm toward the other side of her queen-size bed only to find nothing. Serena sits up and looks at the empty side of the bed with a look of confusion and disappointment on her face. She looks around the bedroom, wondering why there is no one lying next to her on the bed.

Just then, she hears humming coming from downstairs and smiles. She gets out of bed, puts on her bed robe and slippers and exits the bedroom. She walks down the stairs of the two-story house and walks over to the other side of the living room that connects to the toy shop. Inside the shop, Serena sees a raven-haired man sitting with his back facing her, wearing craftsman clothes and carefully making final touches on a wooden mechanical doll while humming. Serena smiles sweetly as she tiptoes over to the man and hugs him from behind.

"Merry Christmas, Ash," she says softly in a singing voice.

The man named Ash smiles without looking at Serena and kisses one of her hands.

"Merry Christmas, My Queen," he says smiling without looking at her. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I woke up by myself," Serena says. "But I was disappointed to find my husband was not in bed so I could give him a Christmas morning hug."

Ash chuckles lightly with his mouth closed and says, "My apologies."

He turns his head to look at Serena and gives her a kiss on the cheek, much to her satisfaction.

"You're cutting it a little close with finishing the presents, aren't you?" She asks.

"What can I say? I want to make sure I give nothing less than the best for our prince and princess," Ash replies with a toothy grin.

Serena chuckles with her mouth closed, agreeing with her husband.

In the two decades since Powuru was killed and Ash's curse was broken, things could not have been happier between him and Serena. Serena's family was shocked to learn that she had fallen in love with a boy so suddenly, but her parents slowly grew to accept their relationship as Ash proved to be a very loving and devoted suitor to their daughter. As Ash and Serena became adults, Serena began to dance in local ballet performances while Ash eventually completed school and his apprenticeship with Uncle Timothy. Once Ash gained enough money working at his uncle's store, he and Serena got married and started living together in Uncle Timothy's house with Delia.

Not long after that, Serena began to grow popular in the ballet world and with Uncle Timothy's permission; Ash followed his wife as she performed all over the world. Serena was joyous that her dream came true, but was even happier that her beloved husband was there to watch every single performance.

On the eighth year since the death of the Rat King, Serena discovered that she was with child after a performance in Hoenn. As such, she felt it was time to retire as a ballet performer and thus she and Ash returned to Kalos to stay. She was sad to see her days of ballet end, but she was also thankful that she became as beloved of a ballet dancer as she wanted to be and happy learning that she and Ash were going to be parents. Thus, their son, John was born and their daughter, Maria was born two years after.

Serena's family now live in various parts of Kalos. While Mr. Sycamore and Grace still live in their home on the outskirts of Vaniville Town, Aria and Pierre got married and now live in Lumiose City with Pierre's wealthy family. When Mairin grew into a young woman, she found out that Alain had developed feelings for her in return and so they eventually married, moved to Anistar City and had two sons and a daughter. Calem moved to Coumarine City and became a lieutenant in the Kalos navy.

Mr. Coovers eventually decided to continue traveling and thus went to the Alola region where he met a beautiful and kind woman and decided to stay and marry her. Together, the couple has triplet sons and a daughter. Uncle Timothy, unfortunately, never married despite deciding to look for a wife after Ash and Serena were wed. One night, he passed away peacefully in his sleep, much to the despair of Ash, Serena, Delia, John, and Maria. He left everything he had to Ash and Serena in his will, and so they became the sole owners of his house and shop.

Despite Uncle Timothy's passing and Serena no longer performing ballet, Ash and Serena have become happier to be together by the day. John and Maria have grown to be very loving and obedient children and each day of raising them have been a blessing in the eyes of their parents and grandmother.

Suddenly, the couple hears a knock on the back door behind them and they turn around to see Delia opening it with a small smile.

"I have two little munchkins wondering if they can come downstairs to open presents," she says.

Ash and Serena turn to each other and smile fondly before Ash says, "Just give us about five minutes, Mom. We'll be right there to tell them to come down."

Delia nods and closes the door. Ash then makes the last touches on the doll before putting it on a box and wrapping it up. He then walks over to a cabinet that is secured by a lock and unlocks it to reveal several other present boxes. Though John and Maria never try to find out what their gifts are before Christmas, Ash and Serena still use the secret cabinet and the lock to make sure their children can't ever see the presents while Ash is working on them throughout the holiday season. The married couple then start taking the gifts out or the cabinet, quietly bring them to the living room where the Christmas tree is and lay them under it. After a couple of trips, Ash and Serena look at the display of presents and then turn to each other with Serena grinning excitedly.

"I can't wait to give them our final gifts," she says.

"Me neither, Serena," Ash says as he puts his arms around his wife's waist. "I think we are ready to start Christmas."

Serena's smile grows and she pecks her husband on the lips before grabbing his hand and leading him to the staircase where they see Delia and an eleven-year-old boy with raven-hair and a nine-year-old girl with a lighter shade of honey blonde hair all waiting at the top of the stairs excitedly.

"Alright, kids, come on downstairs," Serena calls out.

"Yay!" The two kids exclaim as they run downstairs to the living room with Delia following behind at a slower pace. When the children turn to see all the presents underneath the Christmas tree, their eyes widen and their mouths drop in excitement. The adults chuckle at their excitement before Serena steps in.

"Now don't forget what we have to do before opening presents," she says in a singing voice.

"Oh, that's right. Reading the Bible," Maria says.

"That's right," Serena says before turning to Ash. "Papa, would you be so kind?"

"Sure thing, Mama," Ash replies before walking over to a living room desk and taking out a Bible. The two kids and Delia sit down on a sofa next to the tree while Ash and Serena sit down on the sofa opposite from the other sofa Ash then takes out his reading glasses, clears his throat and begins to read.

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world," he begins. "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they have been told."

Everyone nods and quietly say, "Amen," before Ash flips several pages further into his Bible.

"I would like to finish with a couple verses from 1st Corinthians chapter 13 starting at verse 8," he says. "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

"Amen," everyone says simultaneously as Ash puts away his Bible.

"Alright, time for presents," Serena says.

"Yay!" The kids cheer again as they rush over to the Christmas tree as start unwrapping presents while Ash, Serena, and Delia watch them fondly.

"Wow! Looks at these new toys," John says excitedly.

"Oh my, these dolls are pretty," Maria comments as she takes out two familiar dolls.

"Those two actually used to be my dolls, Maria," Serena says as she walks over and kneels beside her daughter. "This is Helga and this is her daughter, Hillary."

"Helga and Hillary, nice to meet you both," Maria says as she hugs both of the dolls.

"Hey, here's a toy of an old soldier," John says as he takes out another familiar toy.

"That is Entalmorfious," Ash says with a toothy grin as he sits beside his son. "He's a weary but noble commander of the cavalry and he's Helga's husband and Hillary's father. He used to belong to your Uncle Calem before he joined the navy."

"Yay, now I have a leader for all of my other soldiers. Thanks, Papa!" John says cheerfully.

Serena and Ash look at each other and smile, happy to see their children pleased with their gifts. Serena kept the toys in her possession even when she married Ash and moved in with him and Delia and Uncle Timothy. Her parents were skeptical of her keeping the toys even though she is a married woman now, but they understood when she said that she would give him to her children one day. Though part of her wishes she could have kept Dawn and Kenny as well despite the fact that they were not hers, she is happy knowing from Mairin's letters that she gave them to her daughter on her birthday and the two of them play with Dawn and Kenny together regularly.

Serena then turns her head to watch Maria continue to play with Helga and Hillary. Ash smirks at his wife looking away from him and decides to sneak up behind her and take out a necklace from his back pocket. He gently puts it around Serena's neck, surprising her and she and Maria look in awe at the sapphire shaped like ballet slippers hanging at the center of the necklace.

"Wow, Papa, that's really pretty," Maria says. "Where did you get that?"

"Oh, I might have come across the owner of a well-known jewelry shop on my last trip to Lumiose City who happens to be a fan of Mama from when she was a ballerina," Ash says with a toothy grin. "So I got a good deal out of him making a special necklace for my queen."

Serena looks at Ash with a loving look and leans in to kiss him. John acts disgusted while Maria lets out an "awww," and Delia nods, proud of her son. When they part Serena caresses her husband's cheek.

"Your queen is most pleased, my love," she says.

Ash smiles and wraps his arms around his wife while they sit down and watch their children continue to unwrap their presents. After about five minutes, all the gifts are unwrapped and both John and Maria are happy with every single gift they are given.

"This has been the best Christmas ever," John says as he plays with Entalmorfious and his other toys.

"Every year has been the best Christmas ever, John," Delia says.

Serena and Ash look at each other and nod before they stand up and turn to their children.

"And it's not over yet, kids," Ash says. "Mama and I have a little something for each of you."

At this, John and Maria's eyes light up as they turn to their parents and simultaneously ask, "What is it? What is it?"

Ash chuckles in amusement before he exits the living room for a moment before he comes back holding a blue present box with one hand and a red present box with the other. He gives the blue one to John and the red on to Maria and says, "Go ahead and open them."

The children excitedly do as they are told and their enthusiastic smiles turn into looks of confusion as John takes out a nutcracker doll designed like a prince and Maria takes out another nutcracker doll designed like a ballerina. Serena, Ash, and Delia smirk as the children look at their parents confounded.

"What are these?" Maria asks.

"They're called nutcracker dolls, Maria," Serena answers as she takes a bowl of nuts from a table stand and kneels in front of her children. "Here, let me show you."

The little girl complies, giving her gift to her mother. The children watch intently as Serena puts the nut in the nutcracker's mouth, pulls the lever and the nutshell breaks revealing the nut inside.

"Wow," John and Maria say simultaneously as Serena gives the nutcracker back to Maria and the two kids begin chanting nuts with their nutcrackers. Ash sits down beside Serena while they and Delia happily watch John and Maria play with their toys.

"You know, kids, nutcracker dolls like these are very common in the Kanto region where your Mama and I used to live when we were little," he says.

"Really?" John asks.

"Yes," Serena says with a cheerful smile. "In fact, it was your great-uncle Timothy who taught me that many nutcracker dolls are each given their own stories by the creators of The Nutcrackers that are handed down to their owners. And these two Nutcracker dolls have a very special story that we'd like to tell you that also involves Entalmorfious, Helga, and Hillary. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes!" The children say excitedly.

Serena smiles with her eyes closed before she gestures her children to sit next to Delia while she and Ash sit on the opposite sofa. With their children hugging their new nutcrackers while sitting next to their grandmother, Serena takes Ash's hand and the couple look at each other lovingly before she clears her throat.

"Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived in a big house with her family and dreamed to become a ballerina. Then one Christmas night, her dear godfather gave her a beautiful nutcracker doll designed as a handsome prince."

The End.

 _Merry Christmas everyone and The Lord be with us all._


End file.
